HeatherRidge Umbrella Board Meeting Minutes July 2005

President Todd Campbell called the meeting to order at 7:00 pm. Present: Todd Campbell, Sam Dent, Owen Hill, Mark Hutchison, Paul Kelly, Cris Mekuly, Linda Kirby, and Carole Stern. Absent: Terry Potash.

PRESIDENT’S REMARKS: Todd Campbell announced that the Trick or Treat hours (2-5 pm) for Gurnee/HeatherRidge are Sunday, October 30^th. There has been no update for Terry Potash, please keep him in your thoughts and prayers.

VICE-PRESIDENT’S REMARKS: Owen Hill had no comments.

SEPTEMBER 27, 2011 MINUTES: Sam Dent made a motion to accept and approve the September 27, 2011 minutes, seconded by Cris Mekuly. At vote, all aye, motion carried.

TREASURER’S REMARKS: Treasurer Paul Kelly gave the highlights of the Treasurer’s Report. Paul noted positive increases in CRF bookings and revenues. Owen Hill made a motion to receive and accept the Treasurer’s Report, seconded by Carole Stern. At vote, all aye, motion carried.

MANAGEMENT REPORT: A Management Report was submitted in writing and was available to the audience.

Al Villasenor noted that the 2010 Draft Audit has been received and is being reviewed by the Audit Committee. The Publications Committee is working toward web redesign for the Central Recreation and Banquet Facility and will then address the HUA web site and HeatherRidge Happenings implementation. The HUA Departments are preparing for the winter season and there will be walk-through to evaluate property condition and projects for present and future. Carole Stern made a motion to accept the Management Report, seconded by Mark Hutchison. At vote, all aye, motion carried.

STANDING COMMITTEE REPORTS:

Architecture and Maintenance Committee. No formal report or motion required.

Audit Committee: The Audit Committee met on October 19, 2011. Golf Visions has responded to the items raised in the 2009 Audit, particularly for performing quarterly checks of Pro Shop inventory. The full review will be presented at the November HUA Board meeting. The one notable concern is that HUA assets are hard to track back to origin, making it difficult to determine depreciation. Otherwise the report is solid and the Committee approves. Mark Hutchison made a motion to accept the Audit Report, seconded by Sam Dent. At vote, all aye, motion carried.

Finance Committee: The meeting minutes were available to the Board. The September financials were reviewed and it is noted that a memo and reconciliation sheet have been provided to Residential Homeowner Associations with a projected meeting on Tuesday, November 8, 2011 at the CRF (6 pm). The RAC is expected to have a Clubhouse report by November 1, 2011. The Treasurer has reviewed the checks issued for the past month and they are appropriate. The 2012 Golf Visions Budget has been submitted and will be discussed in New Business. Sam Dent made a motion, seconded by Cris Mekuly to receive and accept the Finance Report and the report of expenditures for September 2011. At vote, all aye, motion carried.

General Election and Oversight: No formal report or motion required, further discussion in New Business.

Golf and Tennis Committee: Financial reports were distributed. Golf Pro Dirk Skelley has been diligent in keeping records of weather, rounds, projections, and assessments. As noted earlier the weather has greatly impacted rounds and revenues (for the second year). It is noted that demographics of players have changed with lower residential season fees, but on the other hand there are more players attending and appreciating the 9-hole course (time and cost advantages). There are many 18-hole courses in the area that are being forced to close as their play has decreased significantly. Cris Mekuly made a motion to accept the Golf and Tennis Report as presented, seconded by Linda Kirby. At vote, all aye, motion carried.

Landscape Committee: No formal report or motion required.

Ponds Committee: No formal report or motion required.

Publications Committee: No formal report or motion required. The Committee has been meeting with a web designer to evaluate and possibly redesign the CRF web site using the existing hosting and website addresses. Marketing and exposure are key and hopefully the next step will be the HUA website. Creating a web-based newsletter is a possibility and the projects will be handled in a logical progression. It is expected that a proposal can be presented to Al Villasenor in the near future.

Recreational Activities Committee (RAC): The RAC meeting was held on October 11, 2011. The craft fair had to be cancelled due to scheduling, hopefully one will be held in 2012. Santa’s schedule is being checked for a “Sweets with Santa” party in early December. Attend the Tree Trimming party on Friday December 2^nd, everyone is encouraged to bring an hors d-oeuvre, an ornament, and food donations for the HUA Food Drive. After tree trimming, Elvis will perform at 7 pm that evening, be there !!! “Its New Years Somewhere” on December 31^st, see the Happenings for more information. Super Bowl Party plans are in the works, more info to follow in November. Watch the HeatherRidge Happenings and feel free to call Matt at the Clubhouse for more information. Sam Dent made a motion to approve the RAC Report, seconded by Linda Kirby. At vote, all aye, motion carried.

Security Committee: No formal report or motion required. Linda Kirby expressed her appreciation, and that of other residents, for the many instances of assistance, support, and protection that all HeatherRidge residents feel with our 24/7 Security force and patrol presence. Most issues and instances go un-noticed or recognized (and understandably so) but it is proven that Security is one of the biggest factors considered for those living within the HeatherRidge community. The HUA Board recognizes the importance of the security service and the high standards of conduct and performance the Landscape and Maintenance personnel exhibit.

Tax, Legislation, Law, Contracts, Insurance and Special Issues (TLLCISI): Owen Hill noted the two items that were discussed at the meeting. There is a walkway from Colby Road to Dordan Court in the StoneyBrook neighborhood that is in very bad shape. Maturing vegetation and root systems have eroded the walkway and it needs to be determined how to resolve the problems. Al Villasenor, the Landscape and Maintenance Department Heads are considering options and will provide the TLLCISI Committee with options. The walkway could be replaced with asphalt, concrete, or simply eliminated and grassed over. Paul Kelly suggested the pathway (if replaced), could be part of the roadway evaluation and maintenance procedure that reviews and evaluates the common-area roads. The issue is tabled until 2012. The TLLCISI Committee is reviewing information provided by the Publications Committee and relies on it to provide proposals on the web site and newsletter options. TLLCISI will then review and work with the Finance Committee to provide recommendations to the HUA Board in the near future. Cris Mekuly made a motion to approve the TLLCISI Report, seconded by Linda Kirby. At vote, all aye, motion carried. There was further discussion on the determination of election procedures for the House of Delegates or a general election. More discussion follows in New Business.

Welcoming Committee: The October meeting welcomed seven residents at the Welcoming Committee meeting. The next regular meeting will be Tuesday, January 10, 2012. No meetings are held in November and December.

OLD BUSINESS:

2012 Budget. Owen Hill made a motion to accept and approve the HUA Budget for 2012 as presented in September, seconded by Linda Kirby. There have been no inquiries or requests for clarification since it was introduced and published in September 2011. At vote, all aye, motion carried. It should be noted that the HUA operations portion of the budget only increased 46 cents and the CRF assessment decreased $1.40 for 2012.

NEW BUSINESS:

Election Procedures. (Memo from Community Manager enclosure). Historically the elections for HUA Board of Directors (increments of three yearly) have been done through the House of Delegates (HOD). The Delegates have been elected in proportional numbers by the residential homeowner association Board of Directors. Illinois legislation changed to the Community Association Act and to open elections. HUA passed a resolution on October 26, 2010 that changed the election process to an open elections, i.e. HUA Board elected by homeowners directly. In August 2011, Illinois legislation repealed the portions of the Act in respect to “Master Associations,” which includes the HUA. An open election was used in March 2011 and it does become “labor intensive” for the residential board members who must meet a quorum of proxy votes. The reverse side is that residents have more active participation (via HOD nomination and election). If a quorum cannot be met, HUA would have to completely replicate the process (adding significant cost and more knocking-on-doors). There was considerable discussion for both sides of the issue. Paul Kelly made a motion to remain with the present system of open election (vs. the House of Delegates (HOD) procedure), seconded by Sam Dent. At roll-call vote, six aye, one nay, motion carried. It was noted that the resolution can be overturned in the future and revert back to a HOD election process.

Golf Budget. The 2012 Golf Visions Budget has been submitted with recommendations for approval by the Golf and Finance Committees. There was discussion of the lower rounds and revenues due to the miserable weather (rain and cold temperatures); how Golf Visions has worked to reducing the impact on projected revenues, mainly by cutbacks in labor after a second year of dismal weather; and some reduced revenue projections for 2012. Paul Kelly made a motion, seconded by Sam Dent to receive and accept the 2012 Golf Budget as presented. At vote, all aye, motion carried.

Discussion on Project Specifications, Recommendations, and Approval Processes, to include the StoneyBrook Pathway Discussed Earlier. The StoneyBrook pathway was originally intended for StoneyBrook residents to use as access to school bus pickup points. The usage and maintenance history are not available. The preliminary cost estimates for asphalt replacement are between $5,000 and $6,500 and concrete replacement (a longer life span) between $14,000 and $16,000. The third option is removing the walkway and grassing it over, particularly if there is little or no usage of the pathway. The maturity and progression of the vegetation on one side and boulders on the other have eroded the stability and condition of the pathway. Replacement would probably require cutting the root systems of the vegetation, possibly causing damage to the landscaping. Currently it must be hand-shoveled in the wintertime. President Campbell deferred the evaluation to the Architecture and Maintenance Committee to make recommendation to the HUA Board.

Which opened a discussion of the project specifications, proposal requests, and committee recommendations. Owen Hill requested clarification of the project, contracting and committee process. Presently it is difficult for the committees to make recommendations if they do not have solid bids or pricing. All Villasenor stated that typically the problem or project is identified to him. The Community Manager then consults with the Department Heads to determine potential solutions and “ball-park” costs that can be presented to committee. The committee can then verify the need or requirement, leading to the Community Manager developing specifications and requesting proposals or bids that can be officially presented to committees. It is noted that a Department Head typically serves on a committee in his expertise. Committee members do not create specifications or solicit proposals.

Winter Food Drive. As in past years, HUA will sponsor a food drive for the Warren Township Food Bank. It is hoped that RAC will attempt to get donations through their winter and holiday events. All residents and Board members are encouraged to participate. Collection dates are November through December 15, 2011.

OPEN DISCUSSION FOR HOMEOWNERS:

Ann Richter of the Hidden Hills Townhome neighborhood suggested that a Chili Cook-off might be even more successful in the dreary, cold, winter months. RAC will certainly consider a weekend event.

Linda Kirby of the Cambridge neighborhood noted that Cambridge has been soliciting bids for replacement of driveways in their neighborhood. They would be happy to have the StoneyBrook neighborhood participate to encourage multiple bids, lower pricing, and combined efforts that benefit residents and the paving vendor.

Linda Kirby made a motion to adjourn the meeting, seconded by Cris Mekuly; at vote, all aye, motion carried.

Adjournment at 8:10 pm. Next Meeting – Tuesday, November 22, 2011

_____________________________ _________________________________

Sam Dent – HUA Board Secretary Cathy McGrath – Recording Secretary