The Annual Meeting for Hawthorn Park was held on Thursday, November 19, 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 Susan Thimmes, 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 (present)
Mike Sandstrum (present)
Sean Simpson (present)
Sentry Management
Susan Thimmes (present)
The meeting was well attended, with standing room only at the First America Bank lobby. Jeannie Ladd did another fantastic job on the annual community directory. Copies were distributed.
The meeting was chaired by Mike Hogan, President of the Board of Directors. All 2009 Directors were present. A quorum of two-thirds of membership was established!
Pond Repair -- Mike Hogan reminded everyone that they received a detailed written account of the situation with the large pond in front, the requirements of Southwest Water Management District (SWFWMD), and our engineering response with Zoller Engineering. Ray reported that engineering paperwork will be submitted to SWFWMD by 12/31/09. SWFWMD will then require tow to three months to review and approve it. By then we will not have sufficient time to complete the work during the current dry season. Therefore the work will not commence until the 2010/2011 dry season. The Special Assessment required to pay for the work may not be required until 2011. The project cost is expected to be around $1,500 per lot. However an exact cost will depend on many factors and may not be known until the project is contracted.
Pond History -- Hawthorne Park was built by Pat Neal, who retained water rights. He sold water from the pond to Orban's Nursery until the reclaimed water was connected. Also, water from the pond was used by Hawthorn Park to irrigate the front common areas until the reclaimed water was connected. We have also had a couple years with lower rainfall than usual. The deterioration of the liner in the pond was caused by low water levels combined with a receding of the gravel that covers the liner, exposing it to the harmful effects of the sun. Normally the situation would have been detected years earlier during a routine inspection by SWFWMD. However, due to a clerical error of some sort, Hawthorn Park was not on the SWFWMD inspection list until recent years.
Financials -- Mike Sandstrum reported that all members are paid up on dues and assessments. We have a $28,000 surplus overall, and a current year surplus of $8,400. The Association uses the "surplus" for unplanned contingencies.
Social -- Frank Maruca reported a balance of $727 in the Activities Fund. A Garage Sale will be held this Saturday (11/21/09). It is being advertised in the Thursday, Friday, and Saturday newspaper. The traffic pattern was discussed, and determined to be a County issue. Ray Dalto volunteered to speak with the County Sheriff department.
Improvements -- Len Lesjak reported that Greg Danese pressure washed the front sign and stone work. It looks great! Mike Hogan reported that new signs are on order for the front ponds. These signs will discourage fishing by non members. Kathy Lesjak reported that the County has agreed to make a concrete connector between the west end of our 9th Avenue sideway and 9th Avenue pavement. This will be greatly appreciated by walkers and bikers.
Dogs -- Teena Quittschreiber requested that dog walkers stop using the vacant lot inbetween her's and Vince Meli's for dog walking, unless the poop is scooped. The smell is making it difficult to sit outside by the pool. Other comments were heard about dogs not on leashes and poop problems in other areas.
Bulk TV in Dues -- The question of continuing to include TV subscription services in dues, or not, was put to an official vote. There were 40 in favor of keeping a bulk TV subscription, and 26 opposed. The Board will now determine the best TV bulk package available from either Verizon, DirecTV, Dish Network, or Bright House Networks. Dave Armstrong requested to be part of the Board's negotiating team and Mike Hogan granted his request.
Elections -- Tyler Linkenhoker decided not to stand for re-election so that Pat Whitesel can serve on the Board. Mike Hogan and Sean Simpson ran for re-election unopposed. Pat, Mike, and Sean will serve two-year terms (2010/2011). Please welcome Pat to the Board of Directors! Board member phone numbers and email addresses are on this page: Click Here