2016 Meeting Minutes

Cumberland Woods 2016 Annual Board Meeting

Agenda topics

Presidents REPORT (Richard Edwartowski)
The President thanked all residents in attendance and welcomed everybody to the meeting.  Richard thanked everybody for allowing him to have a very successful presidency, and noted that he will not be running for re-election to the board.  Richard noted the passing of resident Basil Pio.  Richard pointed out that when residents stay involved, whether it be through attending meetings, helping plan events like the block party, or running for the Board, it benefits the entire neighborhood.

Vice President Report (John Baran)
Miller Landscape was released from their contract due to repeated issues.  After a search and interview process with multiple potential vendors, Garden Solutions was awarded the contract.  The initial contract was for one year, and if both sides are pleased with the arrangement, a multi-year services contract will be pursued.

Garden Solutions performs all services that Miller previously handled, including snow removal, lawn cutting, bed maintenance, planting, and Christmas decorating.  They also offer these services to residents if interested.

Garden Solutions is currently working on a capital project for the Twin Oaks beautification.  This will clean up and add new plantings to the beds, as well as add irrigation to keep the island from drying out.

Recommendation was made to purchase additional lines of lights for holiday decorating for the 2016 season.

Mailbox replacement pilot will get started soon.  Mailboxes with failing paint or damaged hardware will be swapped out and repaired.  New boxes are $130 apiece (even purchased in bulk) where refurbishing existing mailboxes will cost approximately $50 per box.

Secretary Report (Michael Kobylarz)
Website was recently redesigned.  Old website was not mobile friendly and the underlying platform was no longer supported, leading to potential security vulnerabilities.

Treasurer's Report (Polly Fernandez)
Dues notices will be mailed soon for payment due by June 1st. Dues are slated to remain the same.

Actual spend for 2015-16 was presented as well as the proposed 2016-17 budget.

Previous board made decision to allocate $15,000 over the course of three years to fund eventual cost of retention pond dredging. This is now fully funded. We will be notified by the city when this activity must take place.

Director Update (Greg Wolf)

ROADWORK

Lake Ridge will be under construction later this summer to replace failing concrete.  The project will be in two areas. In mid-July, the north section will be worked on, and afterward (early-August) the crews will move to address the southern section.

BY-LAWS

Greg noted that the by-laws are vary much out of date.  A lot has changed in 22 years since they were first drafted.  For example, originally anything other than wood siding was prohibited, but since Phase II was built with vinyl siding and replacement wood no longer has cedar being used, this would need to be revised.  There are many other examples.  It was suggested that perhaps a lawyer could consult to provide recommendations, as there has not been enough interest from residents to fully take on the necessary work to revise them.

New Business / Resident Comments

One resident expressed concern that the monies spent on the Twin Oaks project did not benefit the entire neighborhood.  It was pointed out that the common areas are the responsibility of the HOA, and that they should be kept up so that the neighborhood as a whole continues to be attractive for residents and potential buyers.

Residents expressed concern about some neighbors who park across the sidewalk which is against city ordinance, and dangerous for walkers and kids.  It was recommended that issues like this be reported to the city via the 'Report a Concern' link on the website.

Tree roots - Some trees planted by the city in the right of way have very shallow roots and these areas have poor grass coverage.  Residents asked whether the city can be asked to augment the grass or re-plant new trees.  Both of these were noted as very doubtful, as the city will not do anything once the tree is in place. They are, however, planting trees now with deeper root systems.

Wooded areas - Discussion regarding potentially turning over the common wooded areas to the city for control was brought up.  This would make the city responsible for upkeep and enforcement.  However it was noted that all residents whose property abuts the area would have to approve, and some residents noted they would not approve.

OTHER ISSUES
Board Elections-President, Vice President, Secretary (all 2 year terms), Director (1 year)

The full board is noted below, with the year noted that the position will be open for election.
2016/16 Cumberland Woods Board
President - Mitch Yencha (2018)
Vice President - Ron Konicov (2018)
Treasurer - Polly Fernandez (2017)
Secretary - Jeff Duperon (2018)
Director-Greg Wolf (2017)