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Dakota Ridge Homeowners Association
Annual Meeting
at The Hampton Inn, Steamboat Springs, Colorado
April 19, 2007
The annual meeting was called to order at 9:05 a.m. by Association President, David Zedeck.
Board members in attendance were David Zedeck, Diane Pietig, Tim DePuy, Brent Langevin and Jim Nichols. Medora Fralick, Nancy Kounovsky and Stephanie McDonald of the Commercial Property Group, administrator for DRHOA were also present. 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 by David Zedeck and then those present introduced themselves. David then welcomed everyone to the meeting and briefly overviewed what would be discussed during the meeting.
David gave a brief President�s message. He stated that the roads and water system were a priority for the previous year and will continue to be the focus as the current year begins. He also noted that with more information forthcoming from ongoing studies, the Board will be able to move forward with a capital assessment plan within the next year.
The next item of business was the Board Election. Medora Fralick of the Commercial Property Group, LLC informed the assembly that there were three Board position openings with four DRHOA lot owners� names on the ballots. She also stated that Jim Nichols resigned his position prior to the meeting. Therefore, the three members on the ballot received the most votes and have been elected to serve on the DRHOA board. Those Board members are Thomas Stone, Brent Langevin and David Zedeck.
The next item of business was the Board Reports. David gave the Road report, noting that the snowplowing expense came in under budget for the year. He also said that later on in the meeting, a consultant from Northwest Colorado Consultants (NWCC) will be presenting information from their road assessment of the Dakota Ridge road system.
Diane Pietig gave the ARC report. She reported that three new building requests and two landscaping requests were received by the committee during the past year. She also said that only minor complaints had been received and all had been resolved. This is also the first year for Eric Smith and Associates to be the architectural firm hired to do the plan reviews and all went well with the transition to the new firm. She also stated that any plans to be submitted or questions regarding building or landscaping should go through the Commercial Property Group (CPG) office first.
Tim DePuy gave the water report. He stated that the study done by CDC the previous year had been updated with newer information and that the study still shows a 40% water loss in the system. A 15 to 20% loss is acceptable in the opinion of the consultants. A consultant from Civil Design Consultants (CDC) will be present to give an update later in the meeting. Tim also informed the attendees that that the water system paid for itself for the first time this past year. He stated that the water rate system in place is meant to cover expenses and not to cover any extraordinary expenses above normal. Tim noted that overflows and pump failure had been dealt with and that a paging system was in place monitoring the water system. He also added that the Board would like to work on encouraging owners to practice responsible water usage.
Mary Andre of CDC gave an update on the water study. Updated information on the water study was available to all present. She noted that an auto dialer on the water storage tank was installed. This equipment monitors the water levels and any problems are reported to Tim Gibbons. This system also has a website that gives updated information on what is happening at the tank. An auto dialer is planned to be installed at the pump house to monitor any pump failure or power outages. Three leaks were found by Utility Technical Services during a survey of the water lines. Native Excavating attempted to repair one leak detected near the tank, but no leak was found. A technician from Utility Tech. came back and tested the line again and found no leak. Therefore it was concluded that the �leak� was a false positive reading. Utility Tech. will come back and retest the other two detected leaks before any further repairs will be attempted. Mary noted that repairing any existing leaks may not solve the water loss problem. All data she has received has been consistent for every year compared in the study. The other cause for leakage may be un-metered water usage. Service lines to individual houses may have leaks or un-metered usage. All waters meters have been certified. It was acknowledged by attending members and the Board that irrigation systems may be a part of the problem also. John Pietig suggested that ongoing certification of water meters be implemented. David asked that re-certification of water meters on a periodic schedule to be on the agenda for the next monthly DRHOA meeting. Mary stated that the next phase of the study may be to survey the lines from the curb stop to each home. Brent suggested that during certification of the meters, the irrigation lines could also be tested. The Board will review all suggestions and options at the next monthly meeting in May.
Brian Len from NWCC was present to give an update on the Road survey. His study is not complete at this time. He stated that the condition of the road system is very good considering that not much maintenance has been done to it. He did note that the North Entrance has the most amount of failure due to poor water drainage. He suggested that crack sealing on a yearly basis continue to be done and that failed areas be repaired as a first step. He then suggested that either a chip/seal or overlay of 1 � inch asphalt be done next. He also stated that a seal coat treatment can also be done. Seal coats need to be done every 3 to 5 years for water protection. He said that the road system had a design life of 20 years. After seven or eight years a seal coat should be done for maintenance. At the 13 year time line a 1 � inch overlay should be applied. He received a bid from Connell Resources for chip and seal at $4 /sq. yd and $15 / sq.yd. for 1 � inch overlay. Once the report is complete the Board will review it and it will be available on the association�s website. Native Excavating will also be contacted to revisit the ditches to make sure they are cleaned out sufficiently.
The next item of business was the Financials. Nancy Kounovsky of CPG presented the Budget. She noted that the investment account had grown by $45,000 over the past year. She also stated that the Board directed that excess income over expenses would be designated to the capital reserve account. Three hundred and fifty dollars of the each owner�s HOA dues from the previous year was also designated for the capital reserve account and has been applied. She also pointed out that lower operating expenses incurred compared to budgeted amounts account for the excess income. Nancy said that the dues for 2007 will be $1,500 for each lot. She explained the $900 will remain the same for the HOA dues with the capital reserve amount collected to increase from $350 to $600. The decision for the increase is so that current owners incur the cost of upcoming projects and that the cost is spread out over time and not just incurred at the time of the project to be done. She noted that the legal fee line item increased due to the retained attorney undertaking the review and updating of the DRHOA covenants and declarations so that they comply with Colorado Senate Bill 100 as required by law. The ARC Fee covers inspections and the process followed during plan review.
There being no further discussion or questions. Medora stated that the Board has previously approved the Budget and it is now presented to the membership present for ratification.
A motion from the floor was made by H.C. Pace to ratify the 2007 Budget as presented and it was seconded by Jim Nichols. The vote was all in favor with none opposing. The Budget was ratified.
The next item was Member Discussion. H.C. Pace suggested using a better quality of seal/coat if that is what is done. He also asked that meeting minutes be available in a timelier manner. He also asked why a change in the association�s attorney was done. David stated that the Board felt that an attorney that did not live within the Dakota Ridge community would be more appropriate in order to avoid any conflict of interest. Diane also added that the newly hired legal firm is very experienced in review of HOA covenants and declarations and updating them to be in compliance with Senate Bill 100.
Andrew Brown asked if the Board would look into how the association is informed of adjacent properties to Dakota Ridge building or making changes to building envelopes.
In closing, Tim thanked CPG as the association administrator for the service they have been provided and that the Board is very happy with their work.
Respectfully,
Stephanie McDonald
Recording Secretary
NOTE:
After the Annual Meeting adjourned, the new Board convened for a short meeting.
Nominations for Board Officers were taken.
David Zedeck as President
Tim DePuy as Vice President
Thomas Stone as Treasurer
Diane Pietig as Secretary
Brent Langevin as Member
The above nominations were approved unanimously.
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned.
Respectfully,
Stephanie McDonald