BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING, HeatherRidge Umbrella Association (HUA), October 23, 2007

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, Rick Francisco, Paul Kelly, Gordon Lind, Carol Marker, and Jim Servis.  Absent:  Sam Dent and Patrick Perry.

SEPTEMBER 25, 2007 MINUTES:  Todd Campbell made a motion to approve the September 25, 2007 minutes, seconded by Rick Francisco.  At vote, all aye, motion carried.

PRESIDENT’S REMARKS:  Carol Marker noted the death and loss of Elroy Wilke as a Director on the HUA Board for the past 2 ½ years.  He spent countless hours working with the Golf Committee and HUA Board, he loved golfing, was a talented artist, good neighbor and friend to many.  The HUA Board and audience were asked to join in a moment of silence in remembrance of Elroy.  There will be a memorial tree dedication and luncheon on Wednesday, October 24, 2007 in his honor.

VICE PRESIDENT’S REMARKS:  Todd Campbell also extended his condolences to the family and friends of Elroy Wilke.  There were no other comments.

TREASURER’S REMARKS:  Paul Kelly gave the Treasurer’s Report.   He noted the cash and budget figures and that HeatherRidge is generally in a very solid cash position.  Todd Campbell made a motion to approve the Treasurer’s Report, seconded by Rick Francisco.  At vote, all aye, motion carried.

MANAGEMENT REPORT:  A Management Report was submitted in writing and was available to the audience. Bob summarized the written report.  There was a meeting to discuss the Golf Visions Budget for 2008 with Tim Miles on October 22 and another meeting will be planned in the next few weeks.  There have been calls about the landscape replacement plants for storm damage that occurred during the past year.  Like plants (size or species) cannot be guaranteed as the difference in the landscape and the impact of utility cables and wiring over the past 20+ years have severely limited the replacement options.  Paul Kelly made a motion to accept the Management Report, seconded by Gordon Lind.  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.  Todd Campbell is working with Jason Shamrock on bids for replacement of windows in the CRF.  The paving of Taylor Drive and the 930 Taylor condo building lots is the major project of October 2007.

Audit Committee:  We have received a written response from the auditor to the questions regarding the preliminary audit report.  A meeting will be scheduled within the next two weeks to review those questions, and to include tax liability, refunds on off-road of fuel, and other issues.  No formal report or motion required.

Finance Committee:  Paul Kelly gave the Financial Report.  The 2008 Proposed Budget has been finalized and was presented at the September 25, 2007 meeting.  It has been published in the October 2007 HeatherRidge Happenings and it is expected to be approved at the November 27, 2008 HUA Board meeting. 

Golf and Tennis Committee:  Rick Francisco reported on a meeting held October 1, 2007.  Items of note included review and approval of the 2008 Golf Budget; September rounds were 4,329 (a plus-variance of 813 over 2006); revenues were $11,973 over-budget; net income was $5,920 over-budget; operating expenses YTD below-budget by $4,788; and Golf Maintenance will be repairing the steps on the 5^th tee and repairing the 4^th tee box.  Todd Campbell made a motion to approve the Golf and Tennis Report, seconded by Paul Kelly.  At vote, all aye, motion carried.

Landscape Committee:  No formal report.  The Landscape Department is busy working on fall cleanup, tree and shrubbery replacement as noted in the October Management Report.  The replacement plantings are done as budgeting allows, it was inevitable that the budget was impacted by the heavy hit on older trees this past year.  Paul Kelly asked that our Landscape Department coordinate with Golf Visions to optimize purchasing power and selection of appropriate replacement trees for both the Golf Course and the HUA property.  It was noted that aging landscape timbers and small retaining walls are being purchased and replaced throughout the property as budgeted and in the Six-Year Plan.

Ponds Committee:  No formal report.

Recreational Activities Committee (RAC):  Jim Servis reported on the October RAC meeting.  It was noted that Sam Dent had been hospitalized, he is now at home.  The annual Employee Christmas Party is being planned and all HUA Board members are encouraged to attend.  The other holiday and annual recreational activities are being planned and will be announced in the HeatherRidge Happenings.  No formal report or motion required.

Security Committee:  No formal report.

Tax, Legislation, Law, Contracts, Insurance and Special Issues (TLLCISI):  Gordon Lind has made some initial recommendations for preparing Requests for Proposals and our bidding process, to be addressed in New Business.  Ponds 24 and 25 by Campbell Drive and the boundary of Fairway Ridge must be resolved.  The boundaries of the ponds must be defined and there must be a determination of each association’s responsibilities for pond and landscape maintenance; water treatment; retaining walls; and all other costs.  Bob Marcus has made an initial approach to the Fairway Ridge property manager Ellie Alexakos.  He expects to have a meeting within the next week and Gordon Lind will be included.  No formal report or motion required.

Welcoming Committee:  There was a Welcoming Committee meeting on October 9, 2007 and seven new residents attended.  The next regular meeting will be January 8, 2008 at 7 pm at the CRF.  The list of new residents was available for the audience.  There are no Welcoming Committee meetings in November or December.

OLD BUSINESS: 

CRF Billboard on Route 120.  There was discussion on the design selection and bidding process to be followed to replace the existing double-sided CRF billboard on Route 120.  The initial plan was to approve an amount of money to be spent and then get the three vendors to provide at least three designs each that would be reviewed by the HUA Board.  Paul Kelly preferred to have the designs submitted for HUA Board approval at the November 2007 HUA Board meeting as there could be significant differences in pricing.  Gordon Lind would like a more “apples-to-apples” evaluation that would have each of the three vendors bidding with designs, but also on the UV coating option (priced by square footage) as the current billboard has been very faded by the sun’s UV rays.  Carol Marker preferred approving a “not-to-exceed” monetary figure and submission of the proposed designs to HUA Board members during the early part of November, expediting the selection and installation.  The decision was to have Bob Marcus pursue the vendors and get the designs which will be provided to HUA Board members for a decision at the November 27, 2007 HUA Board meeting.  It will be an agenda item under Old Business.

NEW BUSINESS:

Request For Proposal (RFP) and Bidding Process.  Gordon Lind has submitted his initial recommendations for preparing RFP’s and conducting the bidding processes for HUA projects.  It includes the intent to encourage at least five possible vendors (when possible) and receiving at least three responsive bids.  The benefits and liabilities of having a “sealed bid” process were discussed.  Several Board members feel it is often impossible to interest multiple vendors in bidding and our historical experiences with successful past vendors must be considered in the selection process.  The specifications written for each project will be critical, and making sure that each vendor is bidding the same project technical specifications (square footage, workmanship standards, warranty, waiver of lien, etc. as examples), have been problematic in the past and need clarification.  It is a concern that this RFP and Bidding Process must not be in conflict with the existing Purchasing Policy.  Todd Campbell and Gordon Lind will work with Bob Marcus on refining the recommendations and producing a document.  Paul Kelly will work with the group to assist coordinating it with the existing Purchasing Policy.

O’Brien Heating & Cooling Proposal for System 5 of the CRF HVAC System.  There was discussion on the energy efficiency ratings and also the cost impacts of newer equipment.  The proposal does not exceed the purchasing policy limit of $7,500.  Todd Campbell moved to accept the O’Brien proposal for the CRF System 5 HVAC (of September 19, 2007), seconded by Paul Kelly.  The amount is approximately $400 over the budgeted amount, but within the range projected in the Six Year Plan.  It was noted that the equipment and work has a 5-year warranty for parts and a 2-year warranty on labor.  Installation could be within the first part of November 2007.  At vote, all aye, motion carried.

It was announced that a short Executive Session meeting will follow the regular HUA Board meeting.

OPEN DISCUSSION FOR HOMEOWNERS:

Jim Petkus, Covered Bridge Condo neighborhood.  Jim noted that the garage entrance to the 917 Vose Drive condo has a very large pot hole that he hopes can be filled in conjunction with the paving that is being done in the Taylor Drive/930 Taylor condo area.  Bob Marcus will work with Jason to see if that is possible.

Jim asked how the billboard sign companies can afford to provide designs without a signed contract, they are at risk for those expenses.  He was advised that the companies are willing to provide designs even before a contract is accepted.

John Dinklenburg of the Covered Bridge Townhome neighborhood asked specifically what area was being paved.  He feels that the Clark Drive and Chase Court areas have not been done in many years.  The extreme increase in petroleum and paving costs was explained, mentioning that we could not even pave the three roads projected in the Six-Year Plan because the costs of asphalt and paving had doubled within the past several months.  (The Clark Drive and Chase Court areas are not projected until 2013 and 2010 respectively.) 

Ann Richter of the Hidden Hills Townhome neighborhood asked if the billboard sign had been budgeted for in the CRF Budget.  It actually has been included in the “Other Infrastructure” section of the Six-Year Plan. 

Terri Rhodes of the StoneyBrook neighborhood asked how much revenue the billboard signs bring in to the CRF and HeatherRidge.  That is difficult to answer but Carol Marker will ask the Social Director to try to document that and other demographic information, possibly using a checklist.  Phone calls should all be tracked and also the status of resident and non-resident rental information.

Elaine Stein of the Covered Bridge Condo neighborhood asked when the pictures painted by Elroy Wilke were moved to the main banquet/conference room and if they would be staying there.  Carol Marker noted that there are security concerns for private art that is displayed in such a public area.  We all want to have the paintings displayed noticeably, but safely.  The placement is still under consideration, the artwork is highly valued by the HeatherRidge community.

Rosemary Cvetich of the Hidden Hills Townhome neighborhood asked about the plans for the sidewalk or walkway along Gages Lake Road (east of Colby Road).  Carol Marker explained about the decision that will be made as to whether the Village of Gurnee installs a concrete sidewalk on the easement (which would parallel closely to Gages Lake Road) or if there is an asphalt walkway installed in the same configuration as it is now.  That is planned for 2010, but we will still work with the Village of Gurnee in the decision-making process.

Paul Kelly made a motion to adjourn the meeting, seconded by Todd Campbell.  At vote, all aye, motion carried.

Adjournment at 7:57 pm.                                                                                                         Next Meeting – Tuesday, November 27, 2007