BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING, HeatherRidge Umbrella Association (HUA), April 22, 2008

These minutes have not yet been approved by the HUA Board.  Any corrections, additions, or deletions  will be made at the next regular HUA Board meeting prior to official approval.

President Carol Marker called the meeting to order at 7:00 pm.  Present:  Todd Campbell, Sam Dent, Rick Francisco, Paul Kelly, Gordon Lind, Carol Marker, Patrick Perry, and Jim Petkus.  Jim Servis was absent. 

MARCH 25, 2008 MINUTES:  Todd Campbell made a motion to approve the March 25, 2008 minutes, seconded by Patrick Perry.  At vote, all aye, motion carried.

PRESIDENT’S REMARKS:  Carol Marker noted that this time of year is extremely busy for HUA departments.    She asked that all work requests be initiated with the HUA office in the work-order process.  This is the most expeditious way of resolving routine and special grounds and building issues and it is an efficient system.  Extraordinary issues will be presented to management for delegation to appropriate HUA departments or to committee for determination of responsibility and possible funding issues.

VICE PRESIDENT’S REMARKS:  Todd Campbell had no comments.

TREASURER’S REMARKS:  Paul Kelly gave the Treasurer’s Report and detail.  Todd Campbell made a motion, seconded by  Sam Dent, to receive and accept the Treasurer’s Report.  At vote, all aye, motion carried.

MANAGEMENT REPORT:  A Management Report was submitted in writing and was available to the audience.  Bob noted that the Village of Gurnee needs right-of-way clearance to gain access to the area of sidewalk they will be replacing, as well as permits from Lake County.  This may delay the start of the project, but it will be accomplished this year.  Jim Petkus asked if the bags from 2007 will be taken away from between the Covered Bridge Condo buildings.  The bags will be emptied and the sediment material distributed as scheduling and labor force allow.  Paul Kelly made a motion to receive and accept the Management Report, seconded by Sam Dent.  At vote, all aye, motion carried.  The Management Report follows these minutes in the HeatherRidge Happenings.

STANDING COMMITTEE REPORTS:

Architecture and Maintenance Committee.  No formal report or motion required.  Todd Campbell has met with Maintenance, they are planning and scheduling the paving work.  This issue to be handled in Old Business.

Audit Committee:  The Audit Committee has received bids from firms with background in association audits for the 2007 HeatherRidge Audit (to be done in 2008).  This issue to be handled in Old Business.

Finance Committee:  Paul Kelly gave the Financial Report and recapped the minutes of the April 17 meeting.  Issues are detailed in the meeting minutes which were provided in the packets and to the audience.  A Contracts Calendar is being worked on and will be available from Bob Marcus.  Gordon Lind made a motion to receive and accept the Finance Committee Report, seconded by Todd Campbell.  At vote, all aye, motion carried.   

Golf and Tennis Committee:  Rick Francisco noted that revenues were down as the course was not open and the Spring Fling could not be held due to poor weather conditions in March and early April.  The Chicago Tribune article on golf courses noted HeatherRidge but did not “flag” it on their Sunday Tribune map.  Bob Marcus will contact the newspaper to see if there can be a notice to that effect or consideration of the omission.  Todd Campbell made a motion to receive and accept the Golf and Tennis Committee Report, seconded by Sam Dent.  At vote, all aye, motion carried.

Landscape Committee:  The meeting was held on April 8, 2008.  Carol Marker noted that residents who plant arbor vitae or bushes around their deck or foundations will be required to contact JULIE and also sign an indemnification form making the resident responsible for any damage to utilities, cables or wires and for the cost of repairs.  Bob Marcus is to send a letter to the HUA lawyer requesting clarification for responsibility (resident or HUA) to utility companies or JULIE, this will help set policy and prevent unauthorized billing in the future.  The Landscape Committee will be responsible for reviewing all landscape planting requests and requiring residents to commit to the indemnification requirement and for contacting JULIE.  The Landscape Committee has the responsibility of denying future requests for private plantings if necessary.  Paul Kelly made a motion to receive and accept the Landscape Report, seconded by Rick Francisco.  At vote, all aye, motion carried.

Ponds Committee:  No formal report, organic sediment removal will be discussed in New Business. 

Recreational Activities Committee (RAC):  Sam Dent noted the upcoming entertainment and the in-house games that are being planned for the CRF.  He explained the 50/50 split of licensing and profits arranged with the game promoters, the games may include golf-tee, darts, juke boxes, and bar-top games.  Gordon Lind made a motion to receive and accept the RAC Report, seconded by Todd Campbell.  At vote, all aye, motion carried.

Security Committee:  No formal report.  Carol Marker noted the progress on the keycard system and the Covered Bridge Recreation Center (CBRC) fencing was discussed.  The Maintenance Department will get three updated bids for the replacement fencing for the May 2008 HUA Board Meeting.  There was thought to adding a keycard lock on the pool gate, but the lack of fencing makes it senseless.  The Architecture and Maintenance Committee will oversee the bid process and assure that it is accomplished as soon as possible.  It was noted that legal advice recommends that all recreation centers have standardized and functional containment for the pools and recreation centers.

Tax, Legislation, Law, Contracts, Insurance and Special Issues (TLLCISI):  The paving bids will be discussed in Old Business.  Gordon noted that Brad Banwart’s Request for Proposal and evaluation processes are exceptional and he intends to use both processes as we go forward with the TLLCISI issues and contracts.

Welcoming Committee:  The regular meeting was held April 8, 2008 and three residents attended.  The list of new residents was available for the audience. 

OLD BUSINESS: 

Audit Firm Proposals for 2007 HUA Audit.  Bob Marcus received four proposals to include the present auditor.  There was discussion on making sure the selected auditor has experience and specialization in homeowner association finances; knowledge of the association finances as related to the Declarations and Covenants of HUA; and also of the eight new auditing standards that will be applied to all non-public companies (like HUA).  Paul Kelly opened discussion noting his interest in Mark Cantey Associates (MCA) as the new auditor.  MCA did some accounting work for HUA before the Staff Accountant was hired so there is some institutional knowledge of HUA.  Patrick Perry noted that we should notify the existing auditor firm of our intent to change and request that all corporate records be returned (there could possibly be a charge).  Bob Marcus will do that notification.  Paul Kelly made a motion to accept the proposal from Mark Cantey Associates (MCA) at the cost of $19,000 each year, seconded by Gordon Lind.  At vote, seven aye, one nay, motion carried.

Memorial Tree Program Status.  The ongoing program and pricing has been reviewed and it is noted that the program has been beneficial and successful in the past.  The selection of memorial plaques and vendors will be considered at the May 2008 HUA Board meeting, Rick Francisco will be working with local vendors and samples.  At this point only the HUA-approved bronze plaque is permitted.

Paving Bid Status.  Todd Campbell presented the three paving bids.  Jim Petkus noted that Farwell and Scott Courts are not through streets and that several streets in Covered Bridge are in very poor condition and need immediate attention.  The Rabine bid of $64,240 is considerably lower than the other two bids (at about $83,000) and Bob Marcus asked if there are bidding factors that affected the bids.  There are some labor and in-house asphalt production issues that allow Rabine to offer a lower cost.  There was discussion that the cost is approximately $14,500 lower than the Six-Year Plan anticipated and that other paving work might be done to streets needing immediate work.  Hot-patching is done routinely (through the operating budget) as temporary repair by the Maintenance Department.  It is also considered that a more extensive paving project could be considered with financial funding and interest that might be lower in the long-run than the “pay-as-you-go” method of doing a few streets yearly that is used presently.  This issue will be presented to the Finance Committee for consideration.  Patrick Perry also asked if HUA has authority to issue bonds and are there any advantages?  Todd Campbell made a motion to accept the Rabine paving proposal, not to exceed $64,240 for paving Farwell and Scott Courts, seconded by Patrick Perry.  At vote, seven aye, one nay, motion carried.

NEW BUSINESS:

Pond Cleaning Proposal.  The Six-Year Plan allotted funds for ponds 17 and 19 for $14,467 and the proposal from Organic Sediment Removal (OSR) is at $10,500, noting a considerable savings.  The issue of sediment removal by the pump house was discussed.  The sediment and debris is affecting and could be damaging to the pumps and mechanical works in the pump house (near pond 27), also impacting the irrigation system.  The Ponds Committee will consult with OSR on the cost and scheduling of this large pond in the future, it is the largest water reservoir in HR.  Todd Campbell made a motion that we accept the proposal from Organic Sediment Removal at the cost of $10,500 for ponds 17 and 19, seconded by Patrick Perry.  At vote, all aye, motion carried.

Rates for Bereavement Rentals for the CRF.  Paul Kelly made a motion that the CRF be available for bereavement functions under the following conditions:  The deceased is an HR resident or an immediate family member; setup fees will be charged; all bar charges will be paid (food would be contracted by client).  It was noted that rental fees will be waived if the CRF is not under contract for another event.  At vote, all aye, motion carried.

OPEN DISCUSSION FOR HOMEOWNERS:

Evelyn Peterson of the Covered Bridge Townhome neighborhood requested that paving be done as soon as possible to Chase Court and Clark Drive.  The potholes outside some garages are so bad that residents cannot use the garage space.  John Dinklenberg (also of the neighborhood) concurred and said that Covered Bridge streets had not been done at all in the many years he has lived there.  These comments will be referred to the Finance Committee as noted in the Paving Bid Status section above.

Carol Kapheim of the Hidden Hills Townhome (HHTH) Homeowner Association asked about the possibility of having a link to the HeatherRidge web site by a proposed site sponsored by the HHTH homeowner association.  Carol Marker said that any site linked must be approved by HUA and would be meant as informational.  Carol Marker added that editorializing in any form of HUA-approved information systems is prohibited.  The resident assured the HUA Board this was understood and would not occur.  Under these conditions, the HUA Board expressed no objections.

Paul Kelly made a motion to adjourn the meeting, seconded by Patrick Perry; at vote, all aye, motion carried.

Adjournment at 8:30 pm.                                                                                                         Next Meeting – Tuesday, May 27, 2008