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Board Meeting 2/26/09

The Quarterly Board Meeting for Hawthorn Park was held on Thursday, February 26, 2009. Here are the topics and highlights of the meeting. 


Please note:  These are not the official meeting minutes.  The official minutes are recorded by Stephanie Chapman Property Manager, and are archived at the offices of Sentry Management. 

Attendees
Board of Directors:
    Ray Dalto (present)
    Wendy Edler (present)
    Mike Hogan (present)
    Tyler Linkenhoker (present)
    Frank Maruca (not present)
    Mike Sandstrum (present)
    Sean Simpson (present)
Sentry Management
    Stephanie Chapman (present)
Interested residents of Hawthorn Park:  Tom Falcone, Lee Fioretto, Agnes Kullmann, George Sinclair, Art Stadlin, John Whidden

 
TOPICS DISCUSSED: 


WORKSHOP -- The Board held a workshop meeting on 12/30/2008 to discuss the Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD) notification that the recertification inspection of Hawthorn Park had failed due to a problem in the larger front pond.  (More below.)

TREASURER REPORT -- Mike reported a cash position of $62,000, Account Receivable of $9,000 and Pre-Paids of $2,000 (all numbers rounded).

PRESIDENT'S REPORT -- Mike Hogan reported that a he did not approach Pat Neal regarding the disposition of the Developer Loan because the new SWFWMD issue requires resolution first.

MANAGEMENT REPORT -- Stephanie reported the plumber who did last year's Backflow Inspections may have performed this year's inspections.  Sentry does not have a contract on file to perform this work, and Stephanie requested the vendor to supply a contract prior to getting paid.  At the meeting Ray produced a contract with the plumber signed by Pat Whitesel, but there were questions as to its authenticity.  Meanwhile, Stephanie shared a bid from a second plumber who would do the inspections for less money.  After discussion, the Board decided Stephanie needs to call the County to determine if the first vendor completed the work and submitted the paperwork as required.  It was left unclear as to how this shall be resolved.

ARC -- Driveway Coloring was discussed.  Since the previous meeting, Stephanie notified a homeowner who painted their driveway without ARC approval, and the owner re-did it.  Ray brought a new ARC request to stain a driveway a dark brownish-red.  There was considerable discussion among the Board members and the homeowners in attendance, and the following insights were noted:
  • It's stain, not paint.  Paint won't stick to a driveway.
  • Clear sealer is also desired by some homeowners.
  • Once a driveway is stained, it is not possible to restain it to another color.
  • The color of the driveway would need to compliment the color of the home. Likewise, the repaint color of a home would need to compliment the driveway.
  • Driveways crack, and the cracks will be more visible on concrete stained a dark color.
  • If owners choose a rainbow of colors for their driveways, it will change the character of the neighborhood.
The following Motion was made and passed:  With ARC approval, driveways may be sealed clear, stained white, or stained off-white.  The particular shades of white and off-white will be defined by Ray and the Board.

SOCIAL EVENTS, TEA -- Sean has not set a date yet for the Ladies Social, which was moved to the Spring to avoid football playoffs.  George Sinclair noted that Peg Mazza already has someone lined up to host the next event.  Sean will follow-up with George and Peg.

SOCIAL EVENTS, GARAGE SALE -- Sean said the next Garage Sale will be held Saturday, March 7th.  Sean will work with George to make sure this is advertised in the Bradenton Herald.

SOCIAL EVENTS, PICNIC -- Geroge asked about the picnic, and made some specific suggestions on logistics.  Why not get permission from County to close off the west lane of the front entrance road and hold the event there and on the common ground next to the pond and the Mazza home?  Wendy requested that the picnic be moved from a Sunday to Saturday, since we are not constrained by the schedule of the Palma Sola Botanical Park.

ACTIVITIES FUND -- A balance of $791 was reported.

ENTRANCE APPEARANCE -- Ray reviewed a bid of $2,000 to install outlets and up-lighting on the five trees in the median strip at the front entrance.  A Motion was made and passed to have the work completed.

SWFWMD ISSUE -- Stephanie reviewed the timeline.  In the Fall of 2008 SWFWMD came to Hawthorn Park to make their inspection.  They noted a problem in the large pond on the southwest corner of Hawthorn Park.  The problem regards the deterioration of the liner for that large retention pond.  The cost to replace the liner and recover it with stone would be around $300,000!  The Board held a special workshop in December to discuss next steps.  The Board decided to hire ZNS Engineering ("Zoller") to review the issue, determine more economical solutions, and work with SWFWMD and the Board to work out a more realistic plan.  There has been correspondence since between all parties.  Stephanie reported that on 2/23/09, SWFWMD granted a 90-day extension (to 5/23/09) to get this matter resolved.  Next step is for the Board to hear alternative solutions from Zoller.

TREE TRIMMING -- The 2009 tree trimming project was put on hold pending a plan around the SWFWMD issue.

MORNING PEACE -- Wendy suggested that the Board approve a guideline to require lawn services to start work no earlier than 9:00 a.m.  After some discussion, the prevailing view was that the awakened homeowner should go directly to the lawn service and request that they start later.

HOME LEASING -- Stephanie was made aware of a home being rented by its owner.  Stephanie said she would follow-up to gain compliance with Hawthorn Park's governance documents.

The meeting adjourned at 8:30 p.m.  The next scheduled meeting is Thursday, May 28th.