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Dakota Ridge Homeowners Association
Annual Meeting
at The Ranch, Steamboat Springs, Colorado
April 4, 2009
The annual meeting was called to order at 10:15 a.m. by Association Board Member, Tim DePuy.
Board members in attendance were Tomas Stone, Diane Pietig, Brent Langevin and Tomas Stone. Medora Fralick, Nancy Kounovsky and Stephanie McDonald of the Commercial Property Group, administrator for DRHOA were also present. Brian Len of Northwest Colorado Consultants was also a guest. A sign in sheet for all lot owners in attendance is included with these minutes for the record.
The first order of business was introduction of the current board members and staff of the Commercial property Group by Tim DePuy. Tim welcomed everyone to the meeting and briefly overviewed what would be discussed during the meeting.
The next order of business was Board Member Reports. A Board Report Packet is included with these minutes for the record and a copy was provided for each member present.
Tim gave the Water Report which included updates on what had been done during the last year regarding water rights, water distribution system, water quality and treatment, water meters, water usage and plans for 2008-2009 year.
Diane Pietig gave the ARC report. The ARC includes Diane, Liz Aldendifer, Lynne Garrel and Medora Fralick as a non-voting member. The Covenant and Design Guidelines were updated using the ARC architectural consultant and put out before the membership in the Annual Meeting Packet to be approved or denied. The ballots returned by the noted deadline fell short of the number needed and will be put back out before the membership in the near future for another vote. Kay Makens asked what the extension on construction time for a house presently under construction is and Diane stated that the timeline is the end of May.
Brent Langevin gave the Financial Report summarizing the financial condition comparing this year versus last year. He noted that assests have increased and liabilities have decreased. There are zero liabilities at this time and equity has increased. The association is in a strong cash position.
Tomas Stone gave the road report. The annual crack sealing and ditch cleaning was done. Dale Morris asked if damaged done to the roads during building projects is taken in to consideration. Diane answered that she takes pictures of the road before the project starts and after it is done and the owner is billed for road damage. The proposed road project will be addressed in detail later on in the meeting. Comments from the floor included attention to the ditches and a utility box that was damaged during the winter from snowplowing.
The next item of business was the Budget Presentation before the membership for ratification or denial. Medora stated that the Board had already approved the Budget for 2009 and it was before the membership for ratification or denial. Nancy Kounovsky of the Commercial Property Group addressed the Budget for 2009. She noted that items are consistent with last year’s numbers. Annual dues and Capital Reserve assessments will remain the same. Steve Hofman noted that he would like to suggest increasing the Capital reserve amount collected. Medora noted that the budget can be amended if changes are approved at a later time. Funds for the Capital Reserve are outside of the operating budget. A question was asked regarding the line item for signage. The money is used for repair not acquiring new signs. A question was raised concerning the road maintenance line item. This money is for regular maintenance and if the road project is passed the crack sealing would not need to be done this year. Discussion ensued regarding mosquito control and weed control. Mosquito control is done for standing water only and for grasshoppers as needed. Weed control is for noxious weeds and can be contracted by individual lot owners also. It was suggested that owners of open lots also be contacted for weed control. The weed control company information will be made available on the DRHOA website.
There being no further questions or discussion on the Budget, Steve Hofman made a motion to approve the 2009 Budget as presented and it seconded by Joe Caddell. A verbal vote was taken with those in favor signify be saying aye and those opposed by saying nay. All present voted by saying aye with no one opposed and the motion was approved.
The next item of business was the Board Member Vote. Medora stated that the seats of David Zedeck, Brent Langevin and Tomas Stone were up for election. Brent and Tomas are running again. David is not running again due to DRHOA Covenant term limitations. Four people were on the ballot with three positions available. Commercial Property Group is the acting election committee. The results are Brent Langevin, Tomas Stone and Michael Williams are elected to each serve a two year term. The board will also include Diane Pietig and Tim DePuy, who each have one year remaining on their current terms.
The next of business was the Road Project Proposal. Tomas led the discussion and referred to his Road Report earlier in the meeting. He reviewed the scope, timing and cost/financing of the proposal. He noted that experts from Native Excavating, Elam Construction, Connell Construction and Northwest Colorado Consultants for the preliminary road inspection were involved. Brian Len of NWCC addressed the members. He stated that now is a favorable time to purchase asphalt and there is currently a unique window of opportunity for this project. He noted that he would do a walk around again, but not much has changed from last year concerning the road condition. He noted that the North entrance is the biggest problem. He addressed concerns and questions from the floor. He stated that once the project is complete the road will be able to handle the heavy construction traffic. Medora stated that NWCC will handle quality assurance and core samples will be done throughout the project. The Board will ask Medora to research the possibility of the paving company offering the lot owners the option of having private driveways being paved through individual contracts during the project. A member expressed concern of the water system under the roads being moved. Tim noted that as water breaks have been repaired in the past, the joints have been moved. He stated that it is not feasible to move all the pipes. The Board agrees that the water system is in good shape and the bad spots have been addressed. Brian stated that the overlay will substantially increase the strength of the road. It was suggested that the Board consider increasing the fee for road damages paid by new construction projects, by using an appropriate fee structure possibly based on square footage of the house being built. The Board will take this suggestion under consideration. The Board was also asked to look into limiting the road traffic during the project. A member asked how road damage from heavy trucks during the project will be addressed. Brian stated that any soft spots would show up and be taken care of. Medora stated that the contingency amount in the proposal would take care of this cost. There will be uniform treatment of both the North and South entrances. Steve Hofman provided a letter giving an alternative method of paying for the proposed road project and is recorded with these minutes for the record. After some discussion, the Board stated that they did not agree with the suggestions made in the letter and did not feel it offered what was best for the association. It was agreed that going forward the Board consider inviting more involvement by the membership in projects and changes of this scope. Medora noted that if the final number for the project was over $800,000, the project would not be done.
H.C. Pace asked to call a vote on the proposed road project as presented by the Board. Ballots were given, then collected and counted. The road project was approved by 41 votes in favor and 7 votes against.
Under Other Business, it was suggested that the covenant changes be put out to the membership for suggestions. After further discussion, Diane stated that a new ballot for approval of the covenant changes will be sent out at a later date after suggestions have been collected from the membership.
There being no further business, Kay Makens made a motion to adjourn with Diane seconding the motion. The meeting was adjourned at 12:00 p.m.
Respectfully,
Stephanie McDonald
Recording Secretary
Note:
The newly-seated Board met for its first required meeting after the conclusion of the Annual Meeting of Homeowners and elected officers and assigned roles for the 2009/10 fiscal year.