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September 2011

MILL CREEK CONDOMINIUM ASSOCIATION (MCCA)

Board of Directors Meeting

Date:  Sept. 14, 2011

Director Attendees: Tanya Anderson, Jack Locher, David Wilson, Hugh Halloran

Gil Standifer, Property Manager, was also present.

Attendees: Judy and Paul Achtellik, Pete & Betty Alford, Kathy Locher, Steve Merillot, Dennis and Lori Floyd, John Goodspeed, Bob Thompson, Jim Maloney

Approval of Minutes: Minutes of June were approved via email prior to the Sept. 14 meeting.

Treasurer’s Report:

Checking account balance: $75,326.05

Savings account balance: $31,268.42

Bank of America CD’s # 9433: $25,215.65 #9381: $25,804.49, #9394: $25,484.68

Total Current Assets: $211,805.69

General Replacement Reserves balance:  $100,746.97            

Replacement Reserves for Boat Dock balance:  $17,108.68

In general, the budget balances reflect estimated expenses for this year. Landscaping budget is over, but that deficit will be taken care of by the general grounds maintenance budget.  The lawn care contract is a little over $20,000 and the budgeted amount was $30,000. 

Insurance costs will also be under budget.

David Wilson asked about the deck budget for staining. Deck staining is still under budget, but there is still more work to be done.  The Board anticipates that the total cost will equal the amount collected through the special assessment.

Property Manager’s Report:

Repairs due to hurricane damage:  In general, the Board felt the buildings held up pretty well. There are 8 reported leaks: Zurl, Dickerson, Wilson, Reeves, Halloran, Millers, Baker, and Ward.  Some of the reported leaks are fairly minor. The Millers’ unit is probably most damaged.  Their roof required a major repair.  Bob Heritage is working on the roof. Gil stated that the interior damage to the Miller’s dry wall will be repaired, either by the Board or the insurance company.  Inside repairs will not be made until repairs to leaks on all units are complete.

David Wilson said that dry wall damage caused by driving rain should be covered by insurance.  Gil will contact the insurance company to inquire.

Some of the window leaks in other units were caused by driving rain getting under the siding. The Board will cover the cost of these repairs.

True Green will come in to grind the stumps from the fallen trees as soon as they can get a grinder. 

Dave Jimney, the painter, will begin work the interior painting of windows that have been installed through the Board budget. Hugh suggested that Dave coordinate this work himself with the individual owners.

Budget for 2012

Hugh suggested increasing the grounds budget to enable us to get a different company for lawn and grounds care and to provide funds for a separate contractor to care for shrubs and trees. Gil has gotten a bid from Ivy Hill (formerly Sierra).  Their bid was within the budget range.  Pete Alford spoke in support of splitting the outside maintenance contract between two companies. One company could be contracted to do general grass and ground maintenance.  Another company could be contracted to do the pruning of bushes and trees around the houses each spring and fall. Several people felt this could be a good option.  The landscaping committee was given permission to contact Wes Cook at the Greenery to ask him to submit a contract proposal for pruning and fertilizing the bushes and trees twice a year.

Hugh said the three developments: Mill Creek, Windward, and Oyster Bay, are planning to meet to see if all three developments could get the same landscaping maintenance contractor.  Maybe this would result in a lower cost for lawn care. 

Bob Achtellik mentioned a concern about overgrown shrubs and the concern that the roots are starting to invade concrete.  He asked if it is possible to pull those shrubs out. The Board explained that based on previous experience with contractors regarding shrub removal, it would probably be a matter of cutting off the bigger shrubs and grinding the stumps.

Tanya Anderson brought up the issue of the sidewalk along the road.  It should be included in the landscaping bid so that the contractor includes this area when edging as part of regular grounds maintenance. There was a brief discussion about paying to have an actual sidewalk along the front of our development.  The Board concluded that this is not a good way to spend our money since the county may widen the road and resurfacing the parking lot is a higher priority than a new sidewalk.

David Wilson asked about a line item for general maintenance in the budget.  The amount, $32,000 is not based on anything specific. What is the reason for this amount if we are not doing general maintenance anymore?  Gil explained that next year we will be painting two buildings and that expense is covered under general maintenance. Jack Locher explained that the $32,000 in this year’s budget has been used to partially cover the cost of repairs to various buildings in the community.

There was a discussion of other repairs or projects that community members would like to do. David Wilson explained that the monthly fee has not been increased for a number of years. The Board has done as much as they can each year with the given budget.  An increase in the monthly assessment could be discussed at the annual meeting.  Tanya Anderson stated that the special assessment fees are designated for specific projects and prevent the need for a raise in association dues.  Special assessments could end when all major projects are complete. But a raise in dues will more than likely not be reversed.

Steve Merillat commented that homeowners are actually paying more each year.   It’s just done as a special assessment rather than an increase in monthly fees.  Others agreed with this statement.

Discussion about Building 20: The Board felt that major repairs will be needed when this building is done.  They discussed whether the repairs to this building should be done piece meal or all at once.  Jack Locher reminded the Board that the color of this building will be changed in order to take advantage of the warranty offered for pre-painted Hardi-plank.  Jack recommended doing this entire building next year because of the wood rot. 

Jack stated that we have caught up on necessary repairs quite a bit.  The condition of the buildings in the community is much better than 10 years ago. He pointed out that there were only minor leaks during the recent hurricane, so we must be doing repairs correctly and effectively now. 

David Wilson said perhaps it would be two or three more years until we get most of the damage taken care of.  Until we get all of the triangles replaced, we will continue to have problems.  Pete Alford asked how many triangles were left, but no one knew for sure. The Board will check on this and let the community know at the annual meeting.

Paul Achtellik mentioned that vinyl siding could be used to replace the cedar. Bob Thompson said that the Hardi plank that we are using is very stable and performs better than vinyl.  It is a newer product that will not need to be painted as frequently as cedar siding.

Gil explained that the $109, 197 left in reserves will be carried over to the next budget.

Hugh Halloran made the point that we need to be cautious on how we spend the money. He recognized David Wilson for having made a major contribution to getting the budget back in the black.

Maintenance Report: No report was given.

Dock Master’s Report:  Scott Anderson, the dockmaster, will be doing meter readings.  Pete Alford suggested putting an outlet on the lamp near the ramp so that an electric blower could be used to clean the ramp regularly.  Scott will get an estimate for this work. 

Tanya Anderson requested more money in next year’s budget for dock boards to continue board replacement.

Jack Locher said the docks are not the property of the boat owners.  The money for boards should come out of the community budget. David Wilson explained that when we separated money for a dock reserve, the plan was to use these fund for all dock work. Jack felt there are some things that are specific to slip owners, but the docks are common elements and everyone should pay for new boards.  We need to build up the dock reserves to cover other dock repairs.   It was suggested that the Board should define what items the boat reserves cover.  No decisions about how to allocate boat reserve funds were made at this time.

Webmaster’s Report: No report was given.

Landscape Committee Report: The landscaping committee thanked all community  members who helped with the recent landscaping. Special thanks are extended to those homeowners who bought their own plants and paid for landscaping around their homes. These homeowners were:  John and Kathy Goodspeed, Kathy and Jack Locher, Frank and Marilyn Foley, Donna and Rex Miller, and Matt Gambrill.

The other landscaping was done with budgeted funds. The Board agreed to continue with the Phase 2 of beautification project next year.  The Board will allot funds for Phase 2 when they finalize the budget. Based on the amount allocated, the landscaping committee will either focus on one building or plant in a few areas as was done this year.

Unfinished Business:

Dryer Vents: If there are any vents that are still not painted, community members are asked to let the Board know and Gil will contact Dave Jimney an have them painted.  Open item.

 Attic fans: No final decisions have been made about allowing attic fans.  Two expert opinions felt it is inefficient to add attic fans because the fan would be below the ridge line. The Board will not approve any further attic fans at this time.  There was a discussion about the one homeowner who already installed an attic fan.  The Board considered having the installed fan taken out and repairs made by the owner.  There has already been a repair that was billed to and paid for by the owner of the attic fan. It was decided to continue this topic as an open item to be discussed at the annual meeting with the goal of getting a community opinion. Open Item.

Millers’ Door: The front door has been replaced and that repair is complete.  Item closed.

Parking Lot Asphalt: There was a discussion regarding repair of the parking lot. Repairing the parking lot will be quite expensive.  David Wilson stated that if we spend money for that, our budget will be in trouble again.  Hugh Halloran reminded the Board that one option could be to split the parking lot repair into thirds and do a special assessment for each of the three years.  The Board decided to discuss this issue at the annual meeting.  John Goodspeed suggested that the Board get an estimate for the parking lot repairs prior to the discussion at the annual meeting.

Addendum to June 8 Meeting, Item 4: This addendum item refers to allowing guests of owners to keep a boat at the Mill Creek docks for longer than 30 days per calendar year. There was a lengthy discussion of this issue, with strong opinions on both sides of the issue. There was no resolution and this item will be discussed at the annual meeting.  The purpose of the discussion will be to determine what the community as a whole wants to do.  The new Board will then determine what the policy is regarding the length of stay of guest boaters at the Mill Creek docks. 

Maintenance Request Correction:  Pete Alford asked that the maintenance request listed for 6/13/2011 be corrected.  The request was to repair or replace cracked cedar boards on the second floor in the front of his unit. At the time of his request, there were no problems with the triangle window.

New Business

Request to install a retractable awning: Bob Thompson requested permission to put a sunsetter retractable awning on his deck.  Half of the deck would be covered.  The awning comes in standard colors that would match the trim on the building.   He gave the Board his drawings and a picture that the Board can take a look at.  Bob said the mounting will not be mounted to the roof.  It will be attached to the upper deck.  It could be removed if they were to move. The Board will consider this request and respond to the Thompsons. Jack Locher stated that if the Board approves this request, there will need to be specific and stringent guidelines so that if others want to do something similar, there will be consistency throughout the community.  It was also stated that the Thompsons would need approval from their next door neighbor as well as the Board.

Rotten Siding: Bob Achtellik reported rotten siding on their house.  Currently this problem is not causing leaking issues. The Board will address it when they can.

Child concern:  Some community members expressed concerns about young people in the area riding an All Terrain Vehicle through the community.    They are concerned that someone will get hurt.  Hugh will contact the parents to express our concerns.

Broken tree near the Floyd unit:  Gil will contact True Green to get an estimate for cutting down that tree and grinding the stump. If their price is high, Gil will contact another company.

Removal of Bushes: The Board gave permission Lori and Dennis Floyd to remove the bushes behind their decks and replace them with azaleas.

Board Members Needed:  Three seats will be open for Board membership for the coming year. All community members are asked to please consider running.  Packets with petitions will be sent to the community in the near future.   

Annual meeting:  Saturday, Nov. 5, 2011

Location: Southern Community Center, 20 Appeal Lane, Lusby, MD

Refreshments will be available at 9:30 A.M. The meeting starts at 10:00.