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Four Lakes HOA Board Meeting
March 27, 2008
In Attendance: Terry Deschenes, Tom Price, Tara Bingham, Todd Ray, Mark Anderson, Mark Achzenick, Rod Case
BUDGET
Rod presented budget and accounting process to the board. He explained how allocation of funds will be shown on reports as sub accounts in the future. Any funds not used will be shown as unallocated. He also asked whether or not we should invest part of the 40K reserves that the association has in the bank. A motion was put before the board and approved to table the discussion regarding this investment until Rod can find out more about our options and bring it to the next meeting.
Mark questioned the $300 amount that was allocated for the roads, asking whether or not more can be requested from the board later if necessary. Terry suggested that we raise the amount to $800, with an option for the road committee to present any other requests to the board for approval as needed. This motion was approved by the board.
Rod also mentioned that the Holecek’s account is now current if the Board agrees to their proposal. The Board agreed to this arrangement. They agreed to pay all but the first 2 quarters of 2007 because they were not yet hooked up to the water. Mark asked if they had repaired the road damage done when they hooked up to the water source. Terry suggested that they be required to do so, if it had not been repaired.
Rod also said that Ashley Saunders hadn’t paid any water dues since 2002 because of a billing error. That error has been corrected and he is paying now. Terry asked if we should try and collect the past dues, since it was our mistake. Rod had suggested to Ashley that he pay half of the $750 even though it was a billing error. Ashley felt that he had been paying his bill and nothing is owed. The board voted to let the past due amount go unpaid.
There are some long time residents that have not paid dues for several years. The total amounts to about $7000. Our By Laws stipulate that interest be charged on any account ore than 30 days past due. This is being done. Our existing process stipulates a serious of further steps included a formal letter being sent, a lien being placed, and ultimately water service being revoked. Terry will speak with the association’s attorney to find out more about the process.
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ROADS
Mark Achzenick, who is head of the roads committee, said that John Olson wants to do some asphalt patching. Mark approved $150 for supplies. Terry asked if any more repairs need to be done immediately. Mark said the parking lot at the community park will get some gravel and a work party will be put together this spring to address any immediate needs. Todd expressed concern about buried electrical wires on 164th and requested that the committee contact him before doing any work. Mark agreed.
WATER/COMMUNITY PROPERTY
Terry mentioned that there was no new business re: water, but Rick Ward had agreed to repair or replace the canvas at the playground. Terry repaired the bus gate.
Rod asked if the association could buy a lawn mower and ask for 12 volunteers to mow the park through out the year on a monthly rotation. Mark suggested Rod get a list of volunteers and find out how much a mower would cost. Terry made a motion to table the discussion until next the meeting. This motion was approved by the board.
EVENTS/ENTERTAINMENT
Terry said that the Fishing Derby will be scheduled by the committee in June. There was good attendance at the Easter Egg Hunt.
OTHER BUSINESS
Terry said that all associate insurance policies had been renewed. Terry will give an update during our next meeting on what kinds we have and what they cover.
LAKES
Rod said that the beaver deceiver on the small lake needs regular maintenance. Mark suggested we change the design, using a pipe with perforations. The concern is that the beavers may raise the water high enough to create a marsh. He suggested that he and Tom Price make the changes during the weekend of March 28th.
HOSPITALITY
Tom said that there are no new neighbors.
VOLUNTEERS
Brendan Pecht was not in attendance.
PUBLICATIONS
An association news letter will go out on a regular basis written by Steve Scott. Committee chairs are encouraged to write articles to inform the neighborhood about what work is being done and what events are planned.
EMERGENCY PREPARDNESS
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Mark Anderson says that the community is progressing, and that he would like to schedule a drill soon. The radios have been given out and training will need to be scheduled this summer. Terry says the board has 5 more radio sets available.
PASSAGE POINT
Rod Case is the community representative on the Advisory Committee for this organization. He says that the committee was given tour of the grounds during their last meeting, and the landfill manager presented a plan to cap the methane gas at the dump to sell at a later date for a profit. The lawsuit that was filed by the surrounding communities against the county is on hold because DDES will have to review permits again before authorizing the work to begin.
(The Issaquah Press recently reported that the decision will be based on the original variance filed in 1966 – even though the actual document cannot be located.) Rod said that the Advisory Committee had decided to not discuss any legal matters at meetings. He also asked permission of the Four Lakes board to post current Passage Point information on the community website. The board approved his request.
OLD BUSINESS
The sani can was brought up by Tom Price. He suggested that the community build a permanent structure, but he was advised by several members of the board that the lot will not perk. Current costs associated with keeping the sani can on a rental verses permanent basis were discussed. Terry said that Sean Mulqueeney was supposed to find out about costs for getting insurance on a permanent unit. The discussion was tabled until the next meeting.
Rod Case said that the county permits for the bus stop was renewed recently, as is required by the county every 5 years.
Terry said that the community website has a new domain which is Four-Lakes.org. The old domain expired and someone else bought it. The community will be notified via the newsletter and the bulletin board.
Rod said that he has replaced the mailbox for dues with a safer style. The cost for this replacement was $78.
ANNUAL MEETING
The overall consensus was that the meeting content and format was good, but there was some disappointment in the low attendance. Terry suggested that we need to do a better job of getting our community involved in events and work parties to generate more interest in our annual meeting. Mark Anderson suggested we put a short survey in the quarterly dues billing envelope to find out what people are interested in. Tara suggested that any new ideas, events or plans developed by the board also be included to generate interest.
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THE BOARD AND ITS PURPOSE
Terry reiterated the purpose and goals of the board. We are a governing body only. We are there to vote on issues, rather than being responsible for all the ideas and solutions. The committees should be responsible for making things happen. We need more input from the general community as well. He believes that the Annual Meeting be more of a facilitated discussion next year instead of simply committee reports.
MISC
Tom Price asked about getting some row boats for the purposed dock. Terry will check with our insurance to see if it’s a liability issue. Mark and Tom will ask Brian Styksal about his dock design. Rod suggested that they submit an article for the newsletter.
Tom also suggested changing the entrance of the community so that there is a small bridge between the lakes. The board discussed potential problems involved with the idea, and then suggested he form a group to investigate the idea and present their findings at a future meeting.
Terry said he’d like to see our community sign be upgraded. Ideas suggested were painting the poles, or a large rock with a community name on it. The subject was tabled for a future meeting.
NEXT MEETING
Thursday, April 17th 7:00 PM at Terry’s.