Annual Meeting Minutes
Holiday Beech Villas Homeowners Association
Meeting Date: July 16, 2011 Meeting Place: Clubhouse
Beginning Time: 10:00 Ending Time: 12:00
10:00 am: Welcome, Call to order, Introductions: Karen Alexander
Karen asked for a moment of silence in memory and honor of Saul (Moe) Moore. Moe was a long-time board member and Homeowner. His work with the Association was priceless and he will be missed very much by all that knew him.
Quorum: Chair notes if a quorum is present.
A quorum was present.
Approve Minutes of Last Annual Meeting,
Charlie Robinson made a motion to accept last year’s minutes as written. Greg Lanier seconded that motion. A vote was taken. The ayes have it.
Officer/Committee Reports
Karen Alexander: President
Karen referred Homeowners to her letter in the Annual Meeting packet.
Howard Esko: Treasurer
Howard stated that we were on our way to a pretty good year last year as we finished the year under budget. The event in December, the leak in D building, cost us money due to the raccoons because of frigid air coming in and freezing pipes and having very little insulation. We had to have foam insulation sprayed in between the floors which cost $31,000. Unfortunately we couldn’t use our insurance since most of the money went toward improvements and not for the water damage caused by the frozen pipes.
Renée Castiglione: Manager
Renée discussed where the money came from to pay for the repairs to the D building. Some monies came from the checking account, where he had usually kept an average of $15,000. About $8,000 came from the Reserve Account and the majority of the money came from the Special Projects account, where we had about $8,000, then borrowed the remainder of our credit line, $17,500.
Renée also mentioned that unit K344, which was in arrears for approximately $4000, was sold and all monies were collected, plus an additional $1,000 for the upcoming Special Assessment.
Unit F124, a foreclosed unit, is under contract. The bank that holds this unit has been paying the monthly dues since March. Total amount lost due to foreclosure on that unit was approximately $1,500.
Unit D315 has not paid their dues since August 2010. There is a claim of lien on that unit. The Homeowners has had hard times and suggests that she will be coming up here to live when her daughter begins college at Appalachian State University in September. At that time, the Board will request a payment schedule for this homeowner to repay what she owes and continue to pay in the future.
Jesus Hernandez: Secretary/Maintenance
In Jesus’ absence Renée discussed some of the maintenance issues attached to the Annual Meeting packet.
Also discussed was the completion of the deck and stairs at the G building.
Renée mentioned the installation of LCD rope lighting under the handrails of the building stairs in order to have more efficient lighting and reduce light pollution. These lights should last longer than the bulbs we are using now and reduce the amount of electricity we are using.
Charlie Robinson: Recap and Where we are with Charter Communications
From a legal standpoint we are in pretty good shape as we canceled our contract with Charter Communications and went with DirecTV. Charlie worked hand in hand with Ham, our condo attorney with DiSanti, Watson ,Capua and Wilson, reviewing contracts and writing letters to Charter for gross negligence and a breach of contract. After receiving our letters, Charter wanted to conduct their own investigation, and although we readily supplied names and phone numbers and addresses to them of all our homeowners, they never contacted any homeowner. A final letter with a final payment of approximately $5,600 was sent in March stating that we considered this our final payment. We have not heard from them since the check was cashed.
Recognitions
Karen recognized Homeowners for their participation in making Holiday Beech Villas a more beautiful place to live:
Les Eiskowitz for taking it upon his self to blow leaves off the front decks of all buildings, on his own time and at his own expense (other than HBV purchasing the leaf blower)
Nina Eiskowitz—for beautifying the D building and clubhouse with plants
Pat Kyle and Greg Lanier—for beautifying the H building with plants
Margaret and Bob Jenkins— for beautifying the H building and clubhouse with plants
Carol and Charlie Robinson— for beautifying the G building with plants
Fatima Hicks— for beautifying the F building with plants
Jesus Hernandez—for beautifying the F building with plants
Judi Fleming— for beautifying the D building with plants
Old Business:
DirecTV Update
Renee discussed where we are with DirecTV. The reason why some primary TVs are not working is because the cables are old and need to change. We are paying Mike Rogers, a local satellite technician, a $45 service charge, plus $80 per hour, plus materials to replace cables. Mike suggested, to save HBV money, that we can purchase the tools necessary to allow Will to replace cables at $17 per hour. We paid $500 for the tools and they were delivered this morning. At this point, Will will replace cables, inside and outside the unit, and if that doesn’t fix the problem, then Will will call Mike as a last resort.
Questions asked:
What happens after our 7 year contract is up?
Answer: we renegotiate the contact after that time.
What if I want different programming?
Answer: you are more than welcome to get Charter, or any other programming service, but this does not mean you do not pay your full Homeowners Dues every month.
How many TVs does the association pay for:
Answer: One TV per unit. Additional TVs are at Homeowners expense by purchasing a receiving for $105, plus an extra $5 per TV per month. All additional cabling for extra TVs are at the Homeowners expense.
Jim Cary put up an antenna on his television and he gets UNC channel and also gets Channel 5 out of Bristol when the DirecTV goes down.
New Business:
Raccoons—Proposal by Wildlife Wranglers
Gerald Arthur of Wildlife Wranglers was on hand to discuss the proposal that was included in the Annual Meeting packet.
Charlie wants the Association to consider a Raccoon Maintenance program.
He discussed:
There is an over population of raccoons and skunks all over the mountain.
Using a deterrent, such as spray, is only temporary.
It is against the law to relocate. If they are trapped, they must be KILLED.
There has to be a signed permit from owner to be able to remove and KILL the raccoons.
Raccoons carry rabies, feline leukemia and their feces has tapeworm.
According to state law you must be licensed to remove and kill the animals.
If you are covering holes, and not covering with hardiboard, you should use hardware cloth to cover holes. It is a fine chicken wire that prevents raccoons from getting through
Poll homeowners:
Karen took a pool of who was in favor of doing further research regarding the raccoons: the ayes have it.
This agenda item will be moved to the Board meeting, meeting this same day at 2pm.
Policy Changes/Approvals
Air Conditioners
Carol Robinson made a motion to accept this policy. Ed Anthony seconded.
There was no discussion requested. A vote was taken: the ayes have it.
Awnings
Bill Gruman made a motion to accept this policy. Jim Cary seconded.
There was no discussion requested. A vote was taken: the ayes have it.
Pat Kyle requests the following:
Prohibition against renters bringing their pets with them to HBV: Most Resident pets living at HBV have grown accustomed to the scent of our local families of deer, groundhogs, skunks, raccoons, bear, etc. But visiting pets are terrified by these scents, especially when left alone in the new rental unit while their owners are away: dining, shopping, etc. These frightened pets bark and make other noises, thereby setting off resident dogs, sometimes as many as a dozen who will bark continuously for hours at a time.
I come to the mountains for peace and quiet, not to hear a dozen dogs barking for three straight hours or longer during the day and/or evening (as happened in June and again in July).
HBV may have the only rental units on the mountain where renters can bring their pets to stay with them. If renters bring their pets, they should board them at near-by local boarding homes while staying at HBV, and visit their pets when they become lonely. This saves the HBV owner of the rental unit the cost of carpet cleaning and fussing with rental agency about who will pay for repairs, exterminators to their unit.
Note: these visiting pets frequently do not follow our leash or defecation rules.
The policy was deferred to the Board meeting, held this same day at 2pm. Also, Karen suggested that if homeowners had comments regarding this issue they should e-mail them to Renée.
Charlie Robinson mentioned that this type of policy may not be enforceable. Even though you may have a policy, you can’t hold owner responsible, even if it’s a violation of policy, against short-term renters.
It was mentioned that the town does have a Noise Ordinance, and any barking dogs, or loud music . . . can be enforceable under the Town’s ordinance, and that the police should be called.
Vote for New Board Members
Ed Anthony and Don Westmoreland were introduced to the homeowners as prospective Board members. Howard Esko was introduced as a current Board member looking for re-election. Renee mentioned that Judi Fleming was also up for re-election, but she was unable to attend today’s meeting.
Announcing New Board
All four Board members were elected. One of these positions is a one year position as it was a vacancy from another member that resigned. It will be decided at the Board meeting, held this day at 2pm, which one of these Board members will serve a one year term.
Adjourned: 12:00 pm