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Author Archives: Scott Reston
Pictures from Easter Party
Thank you to everyone that made this years’ Easter party a success. Here are some photos of the kids enjoying the festivities!
Board Meeting Minutes 4-15-2011
Board Members and Officers
- President – Mark Jones
- Vice President – Janet Cummings
- Treasurer – Brenda Campbell
- Secretary – Ron Alford
- Board Member – Don Nelson
Meeting called to order by President Mark Jones beginning at 7:00 pm and adjourned at 8:30 pm
Presidents Corner– updates and reports- Mark Jones presented information and concerns on maintenance of the pool property:
After a review of the three bids for a pool cover, the Board agreed on contacting Scuba Clean to obtain a current projected cost and time schedule for a 2011 installation of a pool cover. Brenda Campbell, Treasurer, reviewed the “Winter Maintenance” costs including water bill, electricity costs and maintenance fees. After presentation and discussion of those various costs, the Board concluded that it would take less than 1 year of cost savings to pay for a high quality pool cover. The Board agreed that Mark Jones, President, would contact the owner of Scuba Clean to inform them of the Association’s intent on ordering a pool cover and contracting with them for installation.
Mark Jones also recommended that the Board approve the installation of “key in and key out” deadbolt locks on the two bathroom doors and pump room door at the pool for off season security purposes.
City inspectors have reiterated that the height of the fence surrounding the pool must measure 4 feet from ground to the top of the fence. Our fence meets those requirements. The mulch depth around the fence needs to be reduced to keep the height according to the new regulations. Don and Mark agreed to correct this height to avoid a delay in the opening of the pool in May 2011.
Vice President’s Corner– updates and reports of upcoming events:
Janet Cummings, Vice President, reported that the HOA would be supporting and sponsoring the 2011 Easter Extravaganza, which will be held on April 16th from 2:00pm to 4:00 pm at the Pool parking lot. Featured will be two face painters from www.ebony-child.com as well as an Easter Egg Hunt in adjoining homeowner’s yards. Homeowners have volunteered to assist Amy Powell with the event.
The Vice President also reminded all homeowners to keep their lawns cut and their respective properties appearing in a presentable and pleasant looking fashion.
Treasurer’s Corner– updates and reports:
Brenda Campbell, Treasurer, presented an updated 2011 Harps Mill Woods HOA Financial Summary report. The report reflected that the Current Balance of the Reserve Account is $21,501.00. The report reflected that 99 of 115 homeowners have paid their 2011 HOA dues. She stated that there are two homes that are three years behind on their dues and that liens will be place on those properties. The Treasurer expects that the remaining thirteen homeowners will pay the 2011 HOA dues.
The Treasurer stated that the 2010 Federal income taxes for the HOA were paid totaling .70 with income derived from the Association’s interest bearing account. In fact, the Treasurer puts all incoming monies in the Association’s interest bearing account initially and then transfers’ money to the primary checking account when bill paying is required. The purpose is to earn as much interest on the homeowners’ money as possible throughout the fiscal year.
The Treasurer confirmed that the 2009 Financial Review was completed without concern and the 2010 Review is being conducted now.
New Business
Don Nelson, Board Member, alerted the Board that he has received multiple complaints from homeowners regarding speeding on our streets and that the violators are other homeowners. He urged caution to all homeowners that we must all be considerate of our neighbors and be cognizant that we have children and pets in our neighborhood. The Board agreed that if this type of negligent behavior continues that the local police will be asked to address the problem with the specific violators.
Don Nelson also asked that the Board consider having two signs placed at the neighborhood’s two entrances ( Milltrace Run and Harps Mill Woods Run) stating “SLOW Children At Play”
HOA Board Actions:
The Board voted and approved of the purchase of a pool cover as discussed above.
The Board voted and approved of the repair of the bathroom door locks at the pool house, as well as the purchase and installation of “key in and key out” dead bolt locks on the bathroom and chemical room doors. The purpose in this is for further security and to deter vandalism during the off season.
HOA Members Meeting Times:
Homeowners are encouraged to attend HOA meetings. Our upcoming meetings are scheduled for the following dates:
June 7th, August 2nd, October 4th and December 6th 2011. All meetings start at 7:00 pm and the locations of the meetings will be in the neighborhood (usually at the pool) and, if at a different location, it will be noted on the neighborhood signs.
Respectfully submitted,
Ron Alford- Secretary- Harps Mill Woods HOA
April 5th 2011
HOA Board Meeting
All meetings start at 7:00 pm and the location of the meetings will be in the neighborhood (usually at the pool) and, if at a different location, it will be noted on the neighborhood signs.
HOA Board Meeting
All meetings start at 7:00 pm and the location of the meetings will be in the neighborhood (usually at the pool) and, if at a different location, it will be noted on the neighborhood signs.
HOA Board Meeting
All meetings start at 7:00 pm and the location of the meetings will be in the neighborhood (usually at the pool) and, if at a different location, it will be noted on the neighborhood signs.
HOA Board Meeting
All meetings start at 7:00 pm and the location of the meetings will be in the neighborhood (usually at the pool) and, if at a different location, it will be noted on the neighborhood signs.
2011 Annual HOA Meeting Minutes
Board Members and Officers
- President – Mark Jones
- Vice President – Janet Cummings
- Treasurer – Brenda Campbell
- Secretary – Ron Alford
- Board Member – Jon Lee
Other homeowners represented: 7
- Meeting called to order by President Mark Jones beginning at 7:30 pm- President Mark Jones called the meeting to order with a quorum of homeowners present. The minutes of the February 2010 Annual Meeting were presented and approved by the homeowners.
- Overview of the contents of the January 8th 2011 Annual Letter- Secretary- Ron Alford, Secretary and Board Member reviewed the contents of the Annual Letter which summarized the events and issues of 2010. Attendees acknowledged receipt of the information and had no objections and or questions to the information.
- Overview of approved 2011 HOA Budget for 2011- Treasurer- Brenda Campbell, Treasurer and Board Member presented in written form the 2010 and projected 2011 Budget figures to the attendees of the meeting. The treasurer answered questions and emphasized that the focus of the upcoming year was to keep within the limits set for the overall expenditures during 2011 and not tap into the Capital Reserve account balance. This is a departure from several years of knowing that there was money available to easily cover any overages.
- Snow Removal/Emergency Communications- Treasurer- Brenda Campbell, Treasurer and Board Member presented her ideas and actions regarding snow removal from the streets of our community during the recent snow storms. She engaged a private vendor who cleans the Food Lion parking lot to come to our community for a reasonable hourly rate ($150.00/hour) to clear our community streets in order to provide a safe passageway for our homeowners. The vendor was able to clear the streets of our neighborhood in one hour. It was confirmed by the meeting attendees that this was an excellent expenditure of funds within our budget to enhance the safety and mobility of our residents. In addition, the Board members and attending homeowners thought that it was essential that as a neighborhood we have a plan for communicating with each other during emergencies, i.e. power outages, winter storms, etc. the consensus was that we have an effective “neighborhood watch” program already in place and that we have a spirit of concern for each other and when there is an emergency that we do look after each other automatically.
- 2011 Events for Homeowners-Easter, Halloween, Pool party, etc- Vice President- Janet Cummings, Vice President and Board Member reviewed the 2010 community events and proposed the continuation of same and similar events for the New Year. We had a Pig Pickin in 2010 and it was confirmed that that event was a success in bringing homeowners together for another social event. Mark Jones agreed that he would be pleased to be the leader in having that event again in 2011.
- Pool Service Contract with Crystal Clear Swimming Pools renewed for 2011- President-Mark Jones
- Discussion about converting pool to a salt water system- Board members, attendees and Jerry Leone discussed the pros and cons of considering converting our pool to a salt water solution. It was decided that we as homeowners and Board members would continue to explore and gather information about the advantages and disadvantages of the conversion including the costs and short and long term benefits.
- A discussion occurred regarding the purchase of a pool cover for winter/off season time period- The Board has two bids at this time, both vendors offering to install a Merlin mesh cover with costs ranging from $2900 to $3200. It was concluded by the attending homeowners that the purchase of a pool cover would be cost effective and should be implemented as soon as possible. It was confirmed that this would be done for the 2011 Fall/winter season. Currently, we spend approximately $3,960.00 for Winter Maintenance. With the installation of a pool cover, this expense would be eliminated. However, we do not have the actual cost of pool cover removal and the cleaning and balancing of the pool chemicals in the Spring, but we are assured by our current pool servicer that the costs would be much less than the current Winter Maintenance fees and that it would be economically beneficial to install a pool cover
- Election of 2 Board Members- Two Board Members were nominated and confirmed by the meeting attendees. Don Nelson and Mark Jones were selected for three year terms to the Harps Mill Woods Homeowners Association.
- The meeting was adjourned by President Mark Jones. A meeting of the Board was conducted after the 2011 Annual Homeowners Meeting and officers were elected. President- Mark Jones, Vice President- Janet Cummings, Secretary- Ron Alford, Treasurer- Brenda Campbell and new Board Member- Don Nelson
Board Meeting Minutes 12-07-2010
Board Members in Attendance:
- President – Mark Jones – Absent
- Vice President – Janet Cummings- present
- Treasurer – Brenda Campbell- present
- Secretary – Ron Alford- present
- Board Member – Jon Lee- present
Additional homeowners in attendance: Bobby and Barbara Mayton, Laura McCarthy, Lois Foster, John Booker and Pete Cummings
Guest Speaker: Garrett Dysart- Account Manager from American Pool Service
The meeting was called to order by Vice President Janet Cummings at 7:00 pm. The minutes from the October 5th 2010 HOA meeting were previously approved prior to the meeting and posted on the web-site.
Officers Reports:
President
Mark Jones was unable to make the meeting in person, but did provide the 2011 Pool Service Contract from Crystal Clear Swimming Pools with documented projected annual costs at $9,709 and asked the Secretary to present copies to Board members for their records, review and discussion.
Vice President
Janet Cummings reiterated the need to have the proposed shrubbery placed along the pool fence on the bank side
Janet reminded the board that some regular maintenance needs to be contracted with a company to regularly trim the shrubs and trees at the neighborhood entrance (around the sign), instead of once a year. It would look better year round and be more inviting to prospective homeowners.
Treasurer
Brenda Campbell, HOA Treasurer, provided a copy of the 2010 budget through December 7th 2010 and stated that she would provide the 2011 Budget to the Board members by 12-11-2010 and requested any changes and approval by 12-14-2010. Brenda stated that the new budget would make allowances for at least two home owners not being able to pay their dues, thus making the “Income” figures more actual and allowing for more accurate planning. The goal is for the Harps Mill Woods HOA Financial Summary to be as accurate as possible reflecting actual income and expenses.
New Business
Garrett Dysart, Account Manager with American Pool Service Inc came to the meeting to discuss a proposed pool service contract for the HOA pool. Mr. Dysart included a changeover to a salt water system, which supposedly is more efficient to operate, easier on the human body, less corrosive on pool equipment and easier to maintain. Multiple questions were asked and answered and there was significant interest in the concept.
A written document was provided to the Board by Mr. Dysart with an offer for changes and flexibility in a final draft. An annual cost was documented at $8750, but there were specifics of the contract that raised more questions and possible undocumented costs to the HOA.
Summary
The results was that the Board and the attending members were interested in knowing more about this type of service and that we needed to gather more information for comparison and cost analysis. On the surface and on paper, it appeared that there might be some savings in changing our pool service provider, but we want to gather more information before making such a major decision.
For example, our current pool service company recommended a pool cover at an approximate cost of $4,000, which would result in the elimination of our current pool “Winter Maintenance” charges of $3,690.
Mr. Dysart from American Pool Service discussed the same idea, but quoted an approximate cost of $7,000 for a cover, which would also reduce their “Winter Maintenance” costs to the HOA. So, as a Board representing the Homeowners, we need to gather more information about services and proposals. We want to obtain information from “References/Current Customers” receiving services from American Pool Service and or other companies who offer salt water systems and the costs of the required maintenance.
It was reiterated that we have had excellent service from Crystal Clear Pool Service and that they have gone “over and above” on several occasions during the years to keep our pool safe and within Code without unexpected and or hidden costs. Throughout the years, calls were initiated by a Board Member to other pool service companies to obtain estimates for comparable services. The results of the inquiries were that Crystal Clear Pool has an excellent reputation in their service area and that their costs are reasonable for the services that they provide.
Annual Meeting will be at 7:00 pm on February 1st 2011 at the Golden Corral Restaurant
The meeting was adjourned by Vice President Janet Cummings at approximately 8:30 pm.
North CAC report – October 2010
The North CAC (Citizen Advisory Committee) meets on the first Thursday of each month at the Millbrook Exchange Park on Spring Forest Road. At each meeting, there is usually a crime report from a police sergeant that works in our area, as well as discussion and voting on rezoning issues before they are submitted to the city council. The CAC meetings are open to all citizens of the CAC district.
At the October 7th meeting, it was reported that there were 286 vehicle break-ins in our police district between August 19th and September 17th. In 48% of the cases, the car broken into was unlocked. The Raleigh police reiterated their advice that you keep cars locked and keep valuables out of sight. They also stated that we’re entering into a time of year when burglaries typically increase. Residents are encouraged to keep doors locked and garage doors closed. Report any suspicious-looking people/vehicles immediately.
The attendants of the meeting voted unanimously to approve the rezoning case we were presented with last month. This pertains to the lot at the southeast corner of Falls of the Neuse and Litchford. The owner of this lot owns the adjacent land on Litchford. The land will be rezoned office/institutional (O&I). The rezoning request was structured to add several additional conditions including a 2-story limit and a buffer to protect nearby residential homes.
It was also noted at the meeting that Raleigh has released a list of roads that are being considered for traffic-calming measures. Rainwater is on the list for the next round of updates. Although there are no specific plans at this point, it is expected tat this will be similar to the changes made to Mourning Dove in recent years. While a vocal minority have objected to the changes that the city made, many residents of that neighborhood have been pleased with the reduced traffic and traffic speed.