Minutes

These Minutes are APPROVED

Board Meeting Minutes

Meeting date: March 15, 2011

Present: Debra, Fred, Erika, Maggie
Yvon Pouliot, Mary Lou Humphreys, Joan Stephens, Tricia Chatary

Guest Issues to be addressed at next meeting; first 30 minutes (maximum):

The Harambasics lost heat in December and the tech who helped them said that the meter/valve froze and it is believed that this is because the meters are not protected from weather.  Fred will talk to the contractor he’s working with to see about putting some structure over the meters to prevent this from happening in the future.

Approve Minutes of last meeting; February

Motion to approve Minutes:	Fred Barnes
Second:	Erika Mellmann
Motion carried.	Minutes approved.

Current Business:

1. Treasurers Report
1. Current reports are distributed and discussed.
2. 03/15/11; Outstanding accounts ($11,800 in AR)
1. Discussion about the grace period of the 8th.  People seem to be using the 8th as the due date, but often miss that deadline and then expect to be given ANOTHER grace period.  Dues are due on the first of each month.  The grace period is administrative to allow for slow mail or other hang ups that prevent payment from arriving on the first.  But if dues aren’t in by the first they are considered late.
1. Maggie suggests that we do away with the grace period altogether and late fees would be assessed on the second of the month.
1. Motion to eliminate the eight day grace period and assess late fees on the second of each month, to go into effect May 1, 2011.  Debra Davison.  Second by Maggie Buell.  Motion carried.
2. Discussion of delinquent accounts; brief history and explanation by former Treasurer, Tricia, of the “dunning process”.
3. 03/15/11; Labor-for-debt revisited
1. Yvon asks to do the landscaping in exchange for a reduction in his debt.
1. An issue is raised about the provision of SSN for tax purposes, and other legalities around past work and procedures.
2. The Board agrees that a request for a bid will go out like it always has and Yvon is welcome to submit a bid like everyone else.
3. Larger discussion about trading labor for debt.  Insurance and bonding are potential issues, according to the Bylaws.  How do we draw the line if everyone who owes money wants to work off their debt?  This topic is tabled for time, but there is interest in discussing this more fully.
4. 03/15/11; bank documents to change signers at the bank handled
1. Motion to remove Amira Harmbasic and Tricia Chatary from the document of signers on our bank account.  Fred Barnes.  Second: Debra Davison.  Motion carried.
2. A question is raised: how do we trigger the changing of signers with the bank after the new Board is elected?  What process can we put in place that will help to automate this step?

 

1. The yard light in front 7 & 9 Ledgewood comes on and off all night.
1. 02/16/10; Craig will ask the same person (who fixes the light at the corner of Pinewood and Ledgewood) to fix this one
2. 03/23/10; Craig will talk to Cindy D. about Terry Blair and see if he can check it out
3. 04/20/10; still flickering, Joan talked to Craig who hasn’t been able to do this yet.  Joan will follow up with Craig and may take over for him while he recuperates.
4. 05/25/10; Craig has contacted Terry Blair who hasn’t gotten back to him.  Joan suggests that if Terry doesn’t respond then we could try Peck Electric (Craig will make that contact)
5. 06/15/10; Peck knows what the problem is and will order the part
6. 09/21/10; Peck fixed it, but it is going off and on again.  Joan will talk to Craig and ask him to be in touch with Peck.
7. 02/15/11; according to Joan it’s still on most of the time.  Is it on a timer or sensor?  Fred suggests that perhaps we’d like to replace some of the lights.  Fred will do some research to see what’s out there and what the costs are.  Erika will call Middlebury Peck and see if they can get out there and fix it or find out what the replacement cost is.
8. 03/15/11; Peck came, but didn’t have a lift truck.  They will go back with a lift truck and try to figure out what the problem is.  He recommended tracking, specifically, when the light is coming on, how long it’s staying on, when it goes off and how long it stays off, and we should pay attention to the natural light (is it coming on in the dark, daylight hours, etc.?)  He suspects that the ballast is overheating, shutting down until it cools and then coming back on.  This is a sign that it’s failing and will need to be replaced.  He estimated $2-300.  Erika will enlist the help of Craig in tracking the on/off behaviors of the lamp.

1. Storm water assessment
1. 02/16/10; Phelps Engineering sent us a letter indicating that it is time for the five-year storm water review and assessment (“restatement of compliance”).  The fee is estimated to be $600 and the work will be done in the spring.  This is an unexpected expense that we will have to find a line item for.
2. 03/23/10; let’s look for a line item; all Board members will review the budget and look for a place to take this money from
3. 04/20/10; the money will come from the line item for the storm water permit, we will change the name of that line item to be generic enough to hold both permit and assessment (every five years).
4. 05/25/10; Phelps recommended repairs and included pictures, and estimated $600 for the work and offered to provide names of folks that could do the work.  Tricia will be in contact with Phelps so that we can move forward.
5. 06/15/10; Phelps is working to get bids from contractors (Champlain Construction) to do the work.
6. 09/21/10; Tricia has worked with Champlain Construction to clean up the drywells and do the work required to meet compliance with the every-five-years storm water assessment.  There is some work yet to be completed and some information still missing, but Tricia is on it as much as can be done.  This project has cost quite a bit more than expected, but the work needed to be done and was required by storm water rules.  This process is an every five years event and can be simplified somewhat with routine annual maintenance.  The Board will try to figure out what this maintenance would be and how much it would cost so that we can budget and plan for it.
7. 12/14/10; at considerable time and cost, this project is nearly complete.  The only thing left is for the paperwork to be filed bring the Association into compliance, and for Champlain Construction to come back and remove the huge cement covers that they left behind.
8. 02/15/11; This project is complete.  However, we need to understand the requirements and determine what actions need to be taken and how often in order mitigate such large expenditures in the future.  Payment is being withheld pending a commitment letter from Champlain Construction that they’ll come back for the cement caps.
9. 03/15/11; Letter received.  Payment made.  Champlain Construction should be back in mid-April to get the cement caps.  Fred will call the State and find out how often this assessment gets done and what the certification process is and the associated timing (every other year, every five years, etc.).

 

1. Sidewalks
1. 03/23/10; Dean Messner feels that the decision to wait and see how well the sidewalk weathered was done without him.  He is asking, again, that the sidewalk be replaced.  Although Dean’s opinion was heard (he wanted it replaced), the Board (several people went out to look at it and found nothing) didn’t see anything wrong with the sidewalk and decided to wait.  When Dean contacted the Board this month we had an “agent” of the Board go out and look at it and take some pictures.  The pictures are helpful.  Further, her evaluation of the sidewalks is that “Dean’s is the worst, Fred’s is great, Glenn’s is so-so, and #12 Woodbridge isn't the greatest on the first block as you step from parking to sidewalk”.  Craig will contact Gary.  The hope is that Gary can meet with Craig and another Board Member if possible to look at the sidewalks and determine what, if anything, Gary can do to remedy the situation.  First he has to acknowledge the situation.
2. 04/20/10; Craig hasn’t met with Gary yet.
3. 05/25/10; we aren’t getting anywhere with Gary.  Erika will draft a letter to Gary and proof it through the Board.
4. 06/15/10; Joan and Tricia will work on the letter to Gary.  Erika will send Joan the e-mail from Cindy D documenting which walks are damaged, and the photos that go with it.
5. 09/21/10; the letter went to Gary and Gary responded.  He will not take responsibility for the concrete condition.  There are a few options:  1) Do nothing – not an option.  2) Sue Gary – this discussion needs be taken off-line and discussion will include Craig, but some legal remedy is likely.  3) We still need to fix the problem, regardless of the final outcome with Gary.  In order to proceed we need three names and numbers of contractors who can assess our situation and make a recommendation.  Fred will find them and provide information to the Board.
6. 12/14/10; this issue has two parts; 1) litigation with Gary…this will probably have to be taken up by the next Board as the current one is running out of time as the holidays approach and the current fiscal year ends.  2) we still need to allow for the repair/replacement of the current sidewalks.  A budgetary consideration has been made and proposed.  Now it will have to wait until the budget discussion at the Annual Meeting.
7. 02/15/11; the budget passed, including some money to begin replacing the sidewalks.  The Board will wait until the snow melts back so that we can get a good look at the sidewalks.  Fred will work with a contractor to document current level of damage/decay (for small claims court with Gary) and estimate cost for when we’re ready to begin the replacements.
8. 03/15/11; Fred took a look at the exposed sidewalks to see what’s up.  All of them are disintegrating on the top.  It is defective work and defective cement.  He also looked at Mary Lous’s step, which needs to be fixed; it’s awkward and it, too, is disintegrating.  Fred already has contractors looking at the project and working up bids.  It is recommended that Maggie (new Treasurer) takes on a claim against Gary in court. She will have to work with Jessica to determine if it’s small claims (less than $5,000) or general court (over $5,000).

1. Decks to build
1. 03/23/10; Suggestion from Fred: do not build any more decks on top of top soil
2. 04/20/10; Erika will send the deck bid that Gary sent and request an updated one that includes cement footings (3-4 feet deep, concrete footing).  We should also run the standard bidding process for other contractors.  Fred will do some research to find out who’s good and taking jobs and will get names and phone numbers to the Board for the next meeting.
3. 05/25/10; Gary confirmed that all the decks that he has replaced so far (about 15) were on cement tile footing rather than subterranean cement tubes and has no requests to come back and level a deck and no complaints about deck problems (FYI).  Fred provided some names to Craig who contacted one of them (who hasn’t called back yet).  The other one Craig can’t find a phone number for.  Craig will check on some other contractors so that we can still get the decks built this summer. Craig asked which decks are being done…Erika will confirm with Gary which four needed to be done this summer.
4. 06/15/10; #9 and #11 Ledgewood, #22 and #24 Pinewood should be the next replacements.  The names of contractors that we received (and were provided to the Board) have resulted in absolutely NO bids for our decking needs.  Pending a letter to Gary and the outcome of the letter, decks may not be on the schedule for this summer.  If the Board agrees, perhaps the money budgeted for this project can be set aside for next summer, added to whatever is budgeted for 2011 and combined to complete the next decks and privacy screens that need to be done.
1. 09/21/10; decks for this summer are being suspended for two reasons; first and foremost we don’t have a contractor to do the work.  Coincidentally, we (the Association) also got hit by a compliance issue with the town for storm water runoff and the funds are being used to offset those expenses.  When we’re ready to proceed with deck building, we will likely begin where we left off.  This project is tabled until after the new fiscal year.  Deb offers a recommendation of TB Construction in Orwell as a possible contractor to contact.
5. 02/15/11; four decks are scheduled in the budget - 11 and 9 Ledgewood, 1 and 20 Pinewood, and 26 Pinewood also needs immediate attention.  We may need to reassess how many decks we can build for the money set forth in the budget.
6. 03/15/11; Fred has a contractor who will inspect the decks (starting with the two on Ledgewood and Brie Perrault’s) to see what ones are in most urgent need, and will provide bids for the work.  This won’t happen until the snow melts.

 

1. 05/20/10; Privacy Screens - Debra would like to know if she can install lattice for privacy on her deck.  This goes back to the discussion about privacy walls, which were originally included in construction but never replaced when the decks were built.  This will require some research and discussion.
1. 06/15/10; since privacy screens were part of the original construction of the building, Debbie’s privacy screen (and any others not replaced at the time of deck construction) should be built by an Association contractor.
2. 09/21/10; this project is connected with the completion of decks.  See decks for the status of this discussion.
3. 03/15/11; Fred will add this to the list of things for the contractors to bid on.

1. 02/16/10; Propane tanks. Erika is in contact with Gary to have fences (just like the ones used along the train tracks) built around the tanks.  As they mentioned at the Annual Meeting, this is a project that Covered Bridge Apartments has volunteered to take on as a contribution to the community.  Erika will also be in contact with Amerigas to have the tanks painted.
1. 03/23/10; no news yet, but Erika is still on the case.  Gary has been contacted for a price on the new fencing (including staining).  Erika will contact Amira about Mirzet staining.  Amerigas will put us on the summer work schedule for painting.
2. 04/20/10; waiting to hear from Amerigas about when they will be doing the dig-safe marking so that we don’t cut lines when the post holes are being dug.
3. 05/25/10; Amerigas marked for “dig-safe” but didn’t call (as promised) so the marking is gone.  Erika will make another request for marking and some member of the Board will let Erika know when the markings are done.  Gary will put the work on his summer schedule, and Mirzet (via Amira) will do the staining, like he did for the fence along the tracks.
4. 06/15/10; fencing is in and the work is on Gary’s work plan, Mirzet is scheduled to stain it.
5. 09/21/10; the fencing is done (by 07/29/10), Erika is waiting to hear from Craig about what kind of stain to use so that she can purchase it and get the supplies to Mirzet Harambasic, who will be doing the work.  Since Craig isn’ here, Erika will contact Cindy C to find out what we used the last time and where she got the materials.
6. 12/14/10; tabled until spring
7. 03/15/11; Erika will call Amerigas to get on this summer’s schedule to have the tanks painted.

 

New Business:

1. Mary Lou Humphries has volunteered to fill the fifth and open position on the Board.
1. Fred nominates Mary Lou to serve on the Board for the remainder of the year.  Maggie seconds.  Motion Carried.

1. Sump pumps (Amira, Sunita)
1. 11/16/10; the Board has been discussing how to address basement dampness.  Over the past ten 7-10 years we have tried paint-on sealants, exterior perimeter drains, etc.  While perimeter drains were successful for Ledgwood Court, this doesn’t appear to be the solution for Amira’s building.  While painted on sealants have enjoyed some success, the moisture keeps coming back to a few basements.  Tricia is having quite reasonable success with her sump pump and another owner has recently added one.  The Board is considering this as a cost-effective way to address basement water.  Joan will talk to a licensed plumber about an estimate for installing a sump pumps. Erika suggests that the Association pays for the installation of one sump pump for every basement with a documented water issue.  Those basements include (as of 11/16/10) Harambasic/9 Woodbridge, Singh/14 Woodbridge, and Stephens/16 Woodbridge.  Furthermore, it would be prudent to make minor repairs on Chatary/13 Woodbridge.  Retroactive reimbursement of sump pumps installed by owners has not yet been discussed.
2. 02/15/11; the budget was approved, including the money set aside for sump pumps for Harambasics, Joan, repairs to Tricia’s (or the upgrade), and a reimbursement (at the same rate as Harambasics and Joan’s) to the Duraceks who had a sump pump installed last summer.  Tricia will pursue an estimate for what she needs.  We will need to start working with Joan and the Harambasics to figure out cost and to get things moving so that in spring the work can begin.
3. 03/15/11; Tricia expresses her gratitude for the new pump.  It’s working great and her basement is finally drying out.  Joan is working with a contractor (Hamda) to get an estimate for installing the sump pump in her basement as well as the others that the Board designated for the Budget.
1. Fred would like to re-inspect the homes with water in the basement.  He is opposed to using sump pumps.  Joan, though skeptical, agrees to let him take a look at her basement, which had a significant amount of water last summer.  He also believes that Gary did the Harambasic’s basement incorrectly resulting in water/moisture returning to their basement, although Gary used the same materials that had been used in other basements.  Fred would like to explore non-sump pump solutions to the wet basements.  We will still need to address the fact that we budgeted for reimbursement to Adem and Sunita for the installation of their sump pump (which is also working well at last report).

 

1. Roofing
1. 02/15/11; we have one bid for the last two roofs (Ledgewood and the multi-color).  We also have a second bid for just Ledgwood.  We need to make a decision and get committed on someone’s schedule for the spring.  Ledgewood is in critical condition.  We have two bids for roofing ($14,800 and $15,600).  Fred will dig a little bit deeper to find out what shingles each roofer included in their bid so that we can compare the bids accurately.
2. 03/15/11; Fred has received more bids and is ready to recommend Mark Murray of M&M Roofing for $14,800 to complete Ledgewood’s roof.  Motion to accept Mark Murray’s bid; Fred Barnes, Second; Debra Davison.  Motion carried.  Fred will let Mark know and get us on his schedule.  He will also raise the questions of a potential increase in the cost of shingles as a result of the rising oil prices. If this is a real possibility, Fred will suggest that we buy the shingles now and figure out how to store them until we’re ready to install the roof.

1. Decks stained
1. 02/15/11; we need to schedule the staining of the four newest decks and the other decks that are due, plus the 22 front decks that are due.  Estimate: 76 gallons @ $30 ea, labor $25 front deck, $40 back deck.
2. 03/15/11; this was discussed, but we got off topic and didn’t come back to it.  We still need to arrange for the staining of decks and front steps.

 

1. Power washing of siding
1. 02/15/11; if we still need this, we should schedule it for late spring.  Time to start brainstorming on contractor names.
2. 03/15/11; Fred will talk to a couple of guys to get bids on power washing decks that need to be stained and siding that has mold.  The roofing guys would be a good place to start because they’ll need a lift anyway and they could just power wash the siding when they have the life for the roofing.

1. Gutters
1. 02/15/11; we need to have the gutters cleaned out (all of them), a repair on the back of Ledgewood, and check out the problem in front of Fred's unit.
2. 03/15/11; Fred will talk to whoever will be doing the roofing to see if he can include the repair and cleaning of the gutters.

 

1. Landscaper
1. 02/15/11; in the next month or so we should bid out for the landscaping.
2. Addressed above in #1 C, Current Business.

1. Playground
1. 02/15/11; the budget includes some funds for ground cover and/or basketball court maintenance.  We should start thinking about this so we can act on it early this spring.  A new piece of play equipment will be installed in the spring.
2. Tabled until next month.

 

1. Sand/gravel removal from parking areas
1. 02/15/11; Schedule spring cleaning of the parking lot
2. 03/15/11; Debra will call Fiske and schedule the cleaning

1. #3 Woodbridge - front step repair (Mary Lou)
1. 02/15/11; we need to schedule a visit and then the repair
2. 03/15/11; Fred will talk to the contractor who can make this repair.

 

1. Google account
1. 03/15/11; changing of the guard.  Tricia has handled this until now.  Someone from the current Board will have to take over.

1. Shed roof collapse in this last snow
1. 03/15/11; Tricia shoveled snow off the shed after the first big snow, but was ill during the second batch.  Fred suggests having the contractor that he’s talking to about decks to see if he can do something about the roof.

 

1. Meeting location
1. 03/115/11; discussion about location.  Why are we meeting in private homes again?  Some members of the Board would like to give this a try in hopes that it will help bring some community to the neighborhood.

Next meeting; April 19th at the home of Fred Barnes, 4 Woodbridge