Regular Meeting of the Board of Directors of the Hawthorn Park Homeowner Association
Please note: These are not the official meeting minutes. The official minutes are recorded by the Property Manager, and are archived at the offices of Sentry Management.
BOARD ATTENDEES: Ray Flock, Ray Dalto, Floyd Edler (3 of 5 quorum achieved). Absent: Mike Sandstrum, Peg Mazza
Sentry Property Management: Ranita and Stephanie
New Property Manager -- Sentry has assigned Stephanie Tirabo as our new Property Manager.
Financial Report -- So far this year our operating expenses are under our operating budget by about $1,000. The balances of the surplus fund and the Activities Fund were not provided. It was estimated that legal expenses for Association proceedings about a year ago have erased the surplus. Per Sentry Management, we are "in a hole" and digging our way out.
Trees -- The large oak tree on common ground at the intersection of 91st and 92nd was removed and replaced. The removed tree had wood bores, and the County recommended its removal. The Board got an excellent deal on the removal and the replacement tree. Some other oak trees appear to be afflicted by wood bores. Sentry will be walking the neighborhood, identifying diseased trees, and notifying homeowners of the situation. Trees not on private property are the responsibility of the property owner.
Entrance Sign -- Through lots of volunteer effort, the entrance sign was rebuilt and repainted. A new flag was put on top. Special thanks to Cindy Keene for her expertise and hard work to refresh the landscaping around the entrance sign!
CommunityPro Web Site -- Sentry has a new web site portal that homeowners in Hawthorn Park may access. Its primary function is to accept e-payments for dues. However there are capabilities for on-line directory and documents. Go to this link and click on "New User Registration":
https://accesssentrymgt.com/dx/sentry/loginh.html
You will need the account number on your payment coupon in order to authenticate yourself and set up your user ID and password.
Backflow Inspections -- Completed. Three homes failed, and they have been notified.
Federation of Manatee County Associations (FMCA) -- Ray Flock and Ed Goff attended a meeting and recommended that Hawthorn Park join for the information presented at monthly meetings. Membership is $46 per year. The Board is considering membership.
Multi-Use Pathways -- Ed Goff gave an overview of work he has spearheaded in order to encourage bike paths as an alternative transportation mode.
Directory -- We discussed the pros/cons of putting our Association Directory online. In the end it was decided to continue the directory as is, on paper. Some Association members have opted into putting their contact info (phone numbers, email addresses) on the Nextdoor.com site and on Sentry's CommunityPro site.
NewsFlash (Email Newsletter) -- This was discussed, as it pertains to the information it contains. Going forward the NewsFlash will be reviewed by Ray Flock, Board President, prior to publication.
Cable TV Bulk Contract -- Sentry Management explained that the Association vote last year to eliminate the bulk contract was only 3 votes shy of the 62 (67%) needed. Therefore the Board has decided that the focus will be on closing that gap rather than on the previous idea of getting 62 votes to change our documents to only require a 50% majority to change our documents. John Whidden has volunteered to go door-to-door, probably in June, to bring awareness to this issue. Then an official ballot and proxy will be sent to all homeowners, with a vote held probably in September. If 62 votes are achieved, Brighthouse would be notified that our current contract, which ends 12/31/16, will not be renewed. If the vote to terminate the bulk contract is not achieved, the Board will entertain competitive bids for bulk television services. Unlike last time, Verizon appears to be eager to compete for our business.
Compounding matters is the need to rebuild the budget surplus. Bulk TV is $43,300 per year (or $39 per month per house). Terminating the bulk contract will eliminate the TV line item in the 2017 budget. However, given other pressure on the budget not related to TV, the 2017 dues may not be reduced by the full amount of the eliminated TV expense. Likewise if bulk TV stays in the 2017 budget, the dues will go higher than they are in 2016 to cover those non-TV expenses.
Social / Welcome Committee -- Peg Mazza has requested everyone who is interested in being part of a committee to plan social events, welcome new residents, and engage in other related activities to please contact her.
For-Sale-By-Owner Signs -- Pam Bawden raised a concern about the FSBO signs placed at the entrance and at the intersection of 12th and 92nd. These look trashy. Per Sentry, there is nothing that can be done by the HOA, as the signs are on the County right-of-way. Sentry recommended that Pam pursue the matter with County.
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