Sunland Division 17 Owners Association
Board of Trustees Meeting, February 5, 2013
Location: The Gathering Place, 135 Fairway Drive (Ground Floor), Sequim, Washington
Minutes (Approved March 5, 2013)
Call to Order:
The regular meeting of the Sunland Division 17 Owners Association Board of Trustees was called to order at 9:00 am by President, Jim Karr.
Roll Call and quorum:
Board members present: Jim Karr, President; Jerry Schmidt, Vice President; Lee Cox, Treasurer; Cindy Rhodes, Secretary; Gene Ross, Board Member. The President confirmed a quorum.
Sign-in sheet: 15 people signed in as visitors to this meeting.
Review and approval of minutes:
Minutes from the December 20, 2012, regular board meeting was circulated in draft to Board Members in advance. Motion made by Lee Cox to accept the December 20th minutes as circulated, with no corrections, motion seconded and motion passed.
Names of invited guests:
Lee Cox introduced and welcomed Dorothy and Bill who are new residents of Sunland North. Jim Karr also introduced Renee Jones who was the recorder for this meeting.
Old Business:
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- Regular Board Meetings: Jim Karr reminded the Board Members that the Regular Board Meetings will take place on the first Tuesday of every month. The Board Meetings will begin at 9:00 am in the Gathering Place, 135 Fairway Drive, ground floor, Sequim. Please see the website for exact dates. The website is sunlandnorthownersassociation.com.
- Annual Members Meeting: Cindy Rhodes stated the annual meeting for Division 17 will be held on August 6th, 2013. This meeting will be located in the Poolside Room of Sunland Golf and Country Club, 109 Hilltop Drive, Sequim, Washington.
- Division 17 Website: Jim Karr stated the Division 17 website is up and functioning. It is not password protected. If members find any errors or have suggestions for the website notify Jim Karr.
- BaseCamp: The association will continue to use the “BaseCamp” software.
Motion by Cindy Rhodes to use BaseCamp for another year and Jim Karr will pay for this service using his credit card, seconded and motion passed.
Richard Helmenstine will conduct training sessions for Board and Committee members in the use of “BaseCamp”.
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- Approval of Assessment for Declarant: Jim Karr discussed the assessment issue between Division 17 and the Declarant, Kevin Estes Homes. Details of a letter agreement was presented by the President.
Motion by Lee Cox to approve the agreement as outlined in the 2/2/13 letter from Kevin Estes Homes LLC, as corrected, motion seconded and motion passed.
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- Social and welfare group ideas: The board received correspondence from a Division 17 owner asking the Board to appoint a committee to help members with individual needs such as transportation and car repair. After a discussion, the Board concluded that these activities are beyond the scope of the Board. Potential for liability was also mentioned as a concern.
Motion by Cindy Rhodes to have the Board recuse itself as it relates to any social or welfare activities, seconded and motion passed.
Committee Reports:
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- Treasurer’s Report: Lee Cox reports income of $187,033.47, expenses of $174,841.18 and reserve of $12,707.27 for the 2012 fiscal year. This is below the recommended reserve contribution for the year of $24,720 ($2,060/month), largely because of several expenses associated with hiring an administrator in 2012. Budget planning for next year (2014) will need to be firmly grounded in projection of expenses. Kris Osborn noted that the deficit may be less that these numbers reflect because some expenses may be attributable to the reserve account. That issue will be explored in the next month and a report provided at the March Board meeting.
- Landscape Report: Eldon Dennis reports the landscapers are done with pruning. Mr. Dennis stated a tree on the property line between 260 and 270 Blakely has grown very tall. It is blocking light and it could become a hazard.
Motion by Lee Cox to obtain approval from SLOA and then cut the tree down flat, seconded and motion passed.
Eldon Dennis also stated other trees in Division 17 are planted to close to garages. They too could potentially become hazards. No decision was made at this time regarding the tree(s) planted close to garages.
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- Exterior Change Requests: Jerry Schmidt reports he has received two requests to fix handrails, one at 61 Mendel and one at 180 Cascadia. The repairs have been made. 4. Exterior Maintenance and Inspection: Richard Helmenstine reports that Tim Paschal will be responsible for switching the streets lights over to LED conversion. He requests that Tim Paschal and Eldon Dennis have access to BaseCamp. Mr. Helmenstine states homeowners are requesting cracked concrete on entryways be repaired. Some cracks are a cosmetic issue but some cracks present a safety issue. He asks the board for a decision whether to repair all the cracks or not. The cost to repair the cracks could be between $600.00 to $700.00. Mr. Helmenstine stated the cracking of the concrete could be a never-ending problem. In the past, Estes Builders fixed the cracks if the crack(s) presented a safety issue but if crack(s) were a cosmetic issue then Estes Builders and the Homeowner split the cost of repairs.
Motion by Cindy Rhodes to have the Homeowner(s) and Division 17 split the cost of repairing cracked concrete, motion withdrawn.
Cindy Rhodes recommends the Board develop guidelines to follow when cracks occur. Kevin Estes stated he would provide the board with guidelines he used regarding cracked concrete. The board will gather more information about this issue and Mr. Helmenstine and Jerry Schmidt will talk with the Homeowners who asked for repairs to gain further information. They will report their findings to the board.
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- Governing Documents: Gene Ross reports the committee has made good progress in reviewing the bylaws. The committee is composed of Gene Ross, Tim Paschal, Cindy Rhodes, Cindy Meeks and Renee Jones. It is an arduous task as the documents reviewed are inconsistent. Several key items are missing in the bylaws and these include: definitions of key terms (e.g., what a member is), requirements for executive sessions of the board, open board meetings, liability and indemnity issues, grievance provisions and so on. Mr. Ross may recommend the word Trustee be changed to Director and the word Corporation be changed to Association. Jerry Schmidt questions if an attorney needs to review these documents. Gene Ross asked what address to use for the association. Jim Karr said to use Robin Reese’s address for now. Her address is 125 N Sequim Ave, Sequim. When the committee is finished reviewing all of the documents the committee will make recommendations and present a justification for proposed changes.
New Business:
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- Proposed forms: Landscape, grievance, and general. Brief discussion of forms the homeowners can use for communication. The subject was deferred to a later meeting when more time might be available. Board members are asked to review the page describing Homeowner forms which can be found in their board packet (packets were distributed at the meeting) and be prepared to discuss next month.
- “Welcome to Sunland North” sheet: Susan Hammon volunteered to begin development of an information sheet to be given to new residents (both new owners and renters). The goal is to welcome new residents and give them key information from the bylaws and CC&Rs for Division 17 and SLOA.
- Material for March newsletter: Information for the newsletter can be sent to Cindy Rhodes.
- Security issues: The Board discussed how information could be given out to homeowners regarding crimes committed in our area. When a crime occurs in Sunland, Jim Karr asks members not to call Celeste in the SLOA office and ask for the address where the crime occurred. Mr. Karr asks residents to notify him of car prowls, burglaries, and suspicious behavior in Division 17. Cindy Rhodes suggests using a group e-mail to disseminate the information on crimes that occur in our area.
- Proposal to harvest hay from green belt: Lee Cox discussed a letter received from Troy Smith of Sequim Valley Farms Inc. Troy Smith proposed a 5-year lease agreement for cutting the grass and harvesting the hay around the perimeter green space of Division 17. As part of this proposal, Division 17 would receive $900.00/year and avoid the cost of mowing and associated activity (about $4,000 in 2012). Land preparation would require some alteration of berms around the perimeter of the green space. Control of weeds would require use of herbicides and seeding of grass and fertilization would 4 also be required to establish healthy foundation for harvest of quality hay. A variety of questions and concerns were raised by board members and visitors: spraying of chemicals, increased noise and dust from use of tractors and many others. Mr. Ross is concerned that members of Division 17 be informed before any cutting begins. Cindy Rhodes discussed a letter prepared by Robert Rhodes that indicated when land is leased the income from this lease should be more than $900.00/year.
Motion by Jerry Schmidt that a letter be developed outlining the pros and cons of this business offer, seconded and measure passed with one abstention. MOTION by Gene Ross to table the discussion of “hay cutting” until the board has a plan for addressing the problem, motion failed.
Jim Karr asked that any pros and cons regarding this issue be sent to him regarding this business venture. The pros and cons of this proposal will be compiled and presented to the membership at next meeting or as soon as feasible. Eventually, the Board will have to decide how to manage the green space but no decisions will be made without substantial opportunity for homeowner comments and input to the Board.
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- Cleaning of roofs: pressure washing or commercial products: Issue tabled until next Regular Board Meeting.
Visitor comments:
Fifteen visitors signed in to observe the meeting. A separate sign up sheet for comments was not circulated. Remarks from the visitors included the following:
- A discussion of the function of BaseCamp software. BaseCamp will be used by the board and committee chairs to track maintenance and notify board members of events.
- One visitor recommends installing motion sensors in Division 17. Another visitor felt installation of these motion sensors might cause a disturbance to others.
- One visitor suggests going on line to crimereports.org to find out what crimes have been committed.
Several concerns were stated regarding the business proposal from Troy Smith Farms. These concerns were destruction of habitat, safety for domestic animals and loss of privacy. It was suggested, the perimeter around Division 17 could be used as a walking trail, garden or remain an empty field.
There was a brief discussion on the difference between paying SLOA and Division 17 dues. Jim Karr offered to meet individually with the individuals needing clarification.
An updated official list of owners in Division 17 is being developed for use by the Board and by our accountant to communicate with Division 17 owners.
Kevin Estes shared that the current by laws in Division 17 came from Division 15 and 16 in Sunland.
Adjourned at 11:31 am.
Motion by Mr. Cox that the meeting be adjourned, it was seconded and the motion passed. The meeting was adjourned at 11:31 am.
Submitted by: Renee Jones, Volunteer Recorder