Four Lakes Landowners Association
Annual Meeting on February 28th, 2008
The meeting was called to order by President Terry Deschenes at 7:00 pm in the Issaquah Police Station, Eagle meeting room. Terry began by introducing each Board member present – – Mark Achzenick, Mark Anderson, Rod Case (Secretary), Shawn Muqueeney (Treasurer), Brendan Pecht, Tom Price, and Steve Scott (Vice President).
Main Agenda
I. Minutes of 2007 Annual meeting
The first order of business was a quick review of the minutes from last year’s annual meeting. A motion was made and seconded to approve the minutes as distributed. It passed unanimously.
II. Treasurers report
Copies of a final accounting for 2007 and a proposed budget for 2008 had been handed out at the door as people entered. Shawn commented on the new “Round It Up” process for people who wish to contribute additional money when they pay their quarterly assessment. This process started after a suggestion from Board member Steve Scott those members who cannot, or wish not to, participate in volunteer activities to contribute money thus supporting community activities. It was suggested that these people round up the amount they pay to a larger number. The program brought in an additional $262 in 2007!
Shawn stated that the Board has approved raising the Association dues in accordance with the Consumer Price Index for 2007 which is approximately 4.0%. He went over the proposed budget. The budget was tabled for final questions at the end of the meeting.
III. Roads Committee – Mark Achzenick (chair)
Mark started by introducing the 2007 committee. Besides Mark there are currently 5 Association members serving on this committee – Rod Case, John Olson, Brendan Pecht, Jan Pelroy, Keith Renfrew. Having this number of volunteers facilitates much livelier discussion and more projects to be undertaken.
Mark handed out a list of work projects that have been identified. He then used an overhead projector to describe the 4 levels of priority:
1. Issues impacting safety within the community
2. Road maintenance – potholes, roadbed failures, graveling shoulders, etc.
3. Ditching and weed/brushy clearing
4. Major road improvement projects
Mark then discussed the projects that were completed in 2007:
1. A major paving/maintenance project was completed early in the year. John Olson did a great job of picking a contractor and managing the project. It included repaving a large section of road at the top of the hill; several overlay patches, and widening the road in areas.
2. Some significant ditching work was completed along 164th. Keith Renfrew managed this project with help from John Olson, Todd Ray, and Jake Imhoff. They first walked the existing ditch and found where a small slide had blocked water flow. Once this slide debris was cleared the flow of water over the road was significantly decreased. They also cleared brush along the ditch and did some shoveling to improve water flow paths. Finally, Jake Imhoff brought in his backhoe and dug some new ditches above the loop road. Although additional work will be needed along this stretch of road the work done in 2007 has greatly improved the situation.
3. Brendan Pecht completed the installation of YIELD signs. He also placed some additional turtles at the entrance.
4. The abandoned pickup on the well road was removed.
5. John Olson and Marty Johnson did some brush clearing on the well road. They report that the road to be in decent shape and could be used if necessary.
Planned activities for 2007:
1. Continue working on the ditch/water runoff situation on 164th. This will likely include additional gravel on the shoulders and possibly a large French drain on the north side of the road.
2. Paint the crosswalks at the 3-way stop.
3. Organize a spring work party. The main focus will be to spread gravel in many areas along our roads. The shoulders have started to show wear and need to be reestablished before we start loosing paved road.
The committee is not planning on a large expenditure of money this year. It will instead place its unused budget in a holding account and begin saving for our next large paving project.
IV. Water Committee – Evan Lurton (chair)
Evan started by introducing the members of his committee. They are – Rod Case, Terry Deschenes, Marty Johnson, and Keith Renfrew. Evan stated that he has a great core team and they have been able to get additional volunteers when needed. A good example of this is Ashley Saunders agreeing to provide his plumbing skills when the committee redid the pipes at the well head.
Highlights of the general water system report are:
· There have been no water quality failures of the system for several years now. These tests have covered a wide variety of potential contaminates including Nitrates and Radiological Isotopes. Our water continues to be of a very high quality.
· We had no unplanned outages in 2007. There was one planned outage in order to completely re-do the plumbing at the well head. It lasted less than 8 hours during the day.
Activities completed in 2007:
· Re-plumed the well site. Many of the old pipes from the well heads to the reservoir were replaced. A new distribution matrix with shutoff valves were set up that allows us to easily redirect water flow. A flow meter that now allows us to monitor how much water we are pumping out of the ground was also installed. Water flow information is required by the State.
· A new 2500 gallon backup reservoir tank was purchased and put into position. The tank will not normally be used but in the case of an emergency can be used instead of our large reservoir. Its first use will be this coming spring when we shut down the large reservoir to place a new roof over it.
· A long strip of the access road going west from the well site was re-graveled.
· A leak was discovered in one street valve and it was replaced.
Activities planned for 2008:
· As discussed in previous years, the roof over our reservoir will need to be replaced soon. This project is planned for late spring when we will take a weekend to replace the aging roof.
· We will begin replacing all service vaults in the community. The system was installed almost 40 years ago and many of the valves are beginning to fail. Evan has developed a prototype vault which will include a new plastic vault, new bronze valve(s), flow meter, and possibly a backflow valve. The plan is to place two new vaults this year and let them go for the rest of the year to make sure they work as desired. If all goes well we will begin a more aggressive replacement project in 2009. It will probably take close to 10 years to complete this project.
Evan and the committee have reviewed the costs of all this work and it appears we have saved up enough money over the years to cover these major upgrades. But the planned work will drain much of our money reserve. Evan has asked the Board for larger dues assessment in order to build that reserve back up. Ellen (our outside consultant/manager) is in favor of such an increase. She notes that our assessment is one of the lowest she knows of.
V. Community Property – Rick Ward (chair)
Rick committee of Tara Bingham, Rod & Lynette Case, Tom Price, and Dave Prochazka met once this year. In the meeting a list of work projects was created and it will be used in the coming years
Activities during 2007:
· Refurbished the gazebo roof.
· Repainted the entrance sign.
· A new bulletin board was installed. It also has a large painted map of our community. This has been an Eagle Scout project.
· The main community property was mowed on a regular schedule.
Comments from the floor:
1. The little canvas covering over the play set is all ripped and needs to be replaced.
2. There have been several problems with the sani-can this year. Once it was blown up and another time burned. An Association member asked if we have been able to identify the offending party in either case. Rick said we had not.
3. The question was raised whether having a sani-can year round was worth the cost. We are currently spending over $1,200 a year. After some discussion a straw poll was taken and those in attendance generally agreed that it was nice to have this facility. Having it from April through September, when we have our community events and people are using the gazebo, was seen as a necessity. Shawn took an action item to call the vendor to see if it is cost effective to have the sani-can removed each fall and brought back in the spring. Several years ago when this question arose it turned out to be more expensive to remove it at the end of each year. The Board will take whatever action is most cost effective yet insure the facility is in place during spring and summer months.
VI. Lakes – Shawn Mulqueeney (chair)
Shawn stated that there is now an active committee of 5 or 6 volunteers working with him. This level of help will facilitate some much needed work in the future. Shawn reminded everyone that the goals of this committee are to initially stop the deterioration of our lakes and eventually improve their overall quality. It would be great if we could get back to a condition similar to when the Association was founded. The best comparison point we have is a formal lake survey done in 1994. Comparing that report to one done in 2006 we can begin to quantify how much the situation has worsened.
Shawn reviewed the findings/recommendations from the survey conducted in 2006:
1. Use bacteria to reduce sediment levels.
2. Apply herbicides and algaecides to control weeds.
3. Dredging is not a feasible option. The main issues being cost and a very difficult permitting process.
4. Encourage homeowners to have their septic tanks cleaned every two years to minimize runoff.
Activities completed in 2007:
· Contracted with Aquatechex to study lakes further. Their finding were:
1. They determined that the weed population is pretty much unchanged.
2. Aeration is not an effective solution because our lakes are to shallow.
3. Applying grass eating carp in the large lake will do an effective job of keeping the weed population down.
4. Applying EPA approved herbicides to the smaller lakes will help in weed control there.
5. By doing small steps each year can restore the lakes to what they once were.
· Applied for needed permits to place carp in the larger lakes. Permission received.
Activities for 2008:
· Install 220 grass eating carp (10 inches in size) in the two larger lakes.
· Apply herbicides to the smaller lakes.
· Continue efforts focused on water quality and depth.
During Shawn’s presentation the question of safety of the herbicides was brought up. Shawn replied that they are intended only for undesirable weeds and will not harm things like cattails. The water will also be safe for human contact within 48 hours. The main caution should be preventing our household pets from drinking the water in that timeframe.
VII. Entertainment – Diana Price & Kara Muqueeney (co-chair)
Diana reviewed the three events held in 2007. The Easter egg hunt, fishing derby and fall festival/chili cook-off were all enjoyed by Association members. On kind of on a spur of the moment they added a fourth event – – Christmas lights were placed on the gazebo and a lighting ceremony held.
2008 plans:
· Same three events.
· They are also thinking about having an outdoor theater gathering at the Fall Festival time. More information about cost and logistics will be gathered before making a decision.
VIII. Hospitality – Tom Price (chair)
Tom had no major news in this area. No new members move in during 2007. There are several homes on the market at this time and when they sell he is ready to go into action to greet our new neighbors.
IX. Legal – Terry Deschenes (chair)
Terry reported that there was very little activity in this area during 2007. We did have one brief consultation with the lawyer to discuss Passage Point.
X. Volunteers – Brendan Pecht (chair)
As a way to thank all those Association members who help on various Association activities Brendan organized a very special outing in 2007. All volunteers were invited to go to a Mariners game. Everyone had a great time and there was special recognition on the scoreboard during the game.
Brendan and Keith Renfrew have been assisting Terry in identifying candidates for the 2008 Board. They have been successful as evidenced by the three new people who have agreed to fill the vacated slots.
XI. Communication – Steve Scott (chair)
Steve reported that two newsletters were sent out in 2007. Comments from the floor indicated that his efforts are greatly appreciated. The newsletters contained some useful information and the format was very professional looking. Steve said he will probably publish on about the same schedule in 2008.
XII. Emergency Preparedness – Mark Anderson (chair)
This committee started up in 2007 as a result of a presentation made by several Association members who had become CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) certified. The purpose of this committee is to make the community self sufficient and not reliant on 911 in case of an emergency. The committee had several meetings during the year and has made some good progress. Key accomplishments in 2007 were:
· The community was divided into 6 zones and a captain identified for each.
· Mark and the zone captains have used materials from CERT to organize a meeting in which each zone captain hosts and all homeowners in their zone are invited. Activities include general information sharing time, emergency skills and procedures discussed, and inventories of equipment and skills available for use in the case of an emergency.
· 4 of the 6 zone captains have already held their meeting with homeowners and had good attendance. During the meeting house locations were discussed, where water and gas shutoff valves are and any special needs of the household. Each zone also identified a centrally located home that will be the meeting place should an emergency occur.
· Keith Renfrew made arrangements with Big 5 Sports for homeowners to acquire sets of FRS radios at a much reduced price. Before offering the radios to Association members Keith, Rod & Lynette Case tested their range. Communication from diverse points within the community was very clear. Next Keith stayed at his home while the Cases drove on Cedar Grove road. They could communicate from the school bus turnaround down by Cedar Grove Compost. They had reasonable communication from the Tiger Mountain store and even over by Four Creeks. Over 35 homeowners have purchased these radio sets to be used for our own internal communication if needed during an emergency.
2008 Plans:
· The two remaining zone captains will have their initial group meetings.
· Plan and conduct an emergency simulation day.
Old Business
There was no old business from last years meeting.
New Business
Passage Point Advisory Council:
Terry reported that Rod Case has agreed to represent Four Lakes on the Passage Point Advisory Council. The purpose of the council is to be a forum of discussion between the YWCA (owner/operator of Passage Point) and members of the community around this proposed facility. Over the next year they will begin by discussing the plans for development of Passage Point. The YWCA has asked for representatives from each of the homeowners associations surrounding PP as well as some individual homeowners who live adjacent to the new facility.
Rod reported that the Advisory Council has had its first meeting. There were representative from four homeowners associations – Cedar Hills, Cedar Grove Estates, Four Lakes, and Maple Hills. Mazama Woods has been invited but not yet identified a representative. There are also 5 single homeowners who live next to PP on the council. The first meeting included general introductions and some discussion of expanding the membership of the council. It was agreed to leave membership as initially identified until the scope of this Councils activities is better understood.
Rod hopes to use the Four Lakes web site as his primary means of keeping all Association members current on Passage Point and activities of the Advisory Council.
Election of Officers
The term of two Board members (Shawn Muqueeney and Steve Scott) is now completed and there is a third vacancy due to a previously unfilled vacancy. Tara Bingham, Dave Prochazka, and Todd Ray have “volunteered” to become Board members. There being no further nominations from the floor, Terry called for vote on the three announced candidates. They were elected unanimously by voice vote. The 2008 Board will therefore consist of:
3 year term 2 years remaining 1 year remaining
Tara Bingham Mark Achzenick Mark Anderson
Dave Prochazka Terry Deschenes Rod Case
Todd Ray Tom Peters Brendan Pecht
At approximately 9:00 pm. a motion was made to adjourn the meeting. It was seconded and approved unanimously.