July 2010 Newsletter of Edgewood Townehouse Association, Eugene, Oregon

Next General Membership Meeting: Tuesday, July 27, 7:00 PM

Next Regular Board Meeting: Tuesday, August 10, 6:30 PM

By-the-Brook Book Group: By-the-Brook Book Group: Wed. August 11, 2 PM
Tuesday Afternoon Teatime: August 17, 3 PM in the Clubhouse.

Message From The Board
Announcements!
Board Of Directors Meeting Minutes: Tuesday July 13, 2010
Reports: Grounds; Architectural; Director's; Treasurer's; Website
New Parking and Pets Policies
Home Owner Guidelines for Making any Changes to Your Home
Community Resource List [omitted]
Monthly Banking Activities[omitted]
Dryer Vent Form

Fire Prevention week doesn’t start until September, but a number of incidents to home owners over the last few months necessitates this Home Alert message.

Nationally, 15 thousand fires start every year by a common home appliance and NO, it’s not your stove, it’s your clothes dryer. Most people clean their lint trap but don’t give a second thought to their dryer vents. These vents pose a real fire threat and it is just a matter of time before something does catch fire.

In our Edgewood Townehouse Association, more than a few of the homeowners’ vents have been found to be completely blocked and couldn’t vent at all. Some of our units simply vent from our kitchen six to eight inches to the patio, unfortunately most vent up through the attic and out through the roof while others run a long distance underneath the building. Lint buildup is the most common cause of fire and lint is very combustible.

Just recently, one homeowner used a company called “Pro Vent”. This company found that their vent was 90% or more packed with lint and probably had not been cleaned in 10 years. You may find this company in the next F.Y.I. in your updated “Community Resource Directory”. This company specializes in dryer vent cleaning and would give us a special rate for cleaning multiple units (between $35 and $100 per unit depending on number).

It is recommended that your dryer vents be cleaned once a year, that you don't run your dryer at night, or when you leave your residence.

If you experience a dryer fire, do not try and extinguish it. Get out of the house and call 911.

Free: Almost new window screen measuring 34.5 by 46.5 inches. Fits loft window in Tahiti units and probably other upstairs windows here at ETA. Call Camilla at ( ).

Call to Order at Six-Thirty (6:30) PM: By Bruce Trafton - president. Present were Jon Joseph, Suzy Wojcik, Russ Fryburg, Bruce Trafton, Susan Klein, Doug Cone, and Eaton Conant. Toni Horodysky Linda Johnson were excused. Also present was Frank Gaddini.

Approval of minutes of the June 2010 Board of Directors Meeting: Jon Joseph moved and Russ Fryburg seconded to approve the minutes as printed in the June FYI. Motion passed.

State of Facilities and Operations Report: Frank Gaddini presented a written report.

Budget Report: Toni Horodysky submitted a written report. Bruce Trafton also reported that all people are paid up with their fees except one person, who is two months behind. The board will need to present the budget for 2011 at the Oct. general meeting.

Architectural/Building Committee – Simone D’Aubigne submitted a written report.

Grounds Committee – Bruce Trafton & Frank Gaddini reported for Jerry Wojcik. There are 11 garden debris cans for sani-pac to be picked up that are full.

Swimming Pool – Bev Behrman - written report given. Bruce Trafton will take over for Bev Behrman while she is unavailable.

Welcome Committee – No report as there are no new residents. Quite a few people have been looking at the vacant units that are on the market.

Old Business:
Reserve Study Update – Frank Gaddini reported on the Reserve Funding. The Study was conducted by Western States Subdivision Consulting. The study concluded that our progress, this first year, towards maintaining our facilities is proceeding at a “fair” to “good” pace. We will have a more accurate assessment of our facility maintenance progress after FY 2010. Frank Gaddini will email the 147 page report to the Board and publish a hard-copy of the report for homeowner review. The hard-copy will be available in the Clubhouse.

Rules/Policies Reviews – Pets & Parking- Much discussion regarding the proposed policies.
Parking - Russ Fryburg moved that the board accept the proposed parking policy. Suzy Wojcik seconded. Motion passed. Jon Joseph moved to amend the policies by removing the clause “on a short term basis, and” Suzy Wojcik seconded the motion. Amended motion carried. Jon Joseph moved to add to number 5 on the parking policy list to add a fine of $25 per day for violation of a parking space, to the owner, without a permit. Motion carried. A copy of the revised rule will be posted in the FYI.

Pets - The Pet policy that was proposed on April 13 passed after a motion by Jon Joseph and second by Susan Klein. A copy of the revised rule will be posted in the FYI.

Report on cemetery drainage – Frank Gaddini met with the owner of Sunset Hills Cemetery and learned that the owner has worked extensively on his drainage system and has invested sizable resources to manage ground water. The homeowners association along Brookside has two holding ponds that are overgrown with vegetation. The rain in June overwhelmed this system and spilled over onto the cemetery’s grounds which, in turn, ran over our property as it raced to the creek. Ground water, originating from the top of the ridge at the City limits near 58th Street, was coming down the hill from the Highland and Rock Ridge sites onto the cemetery and then onto our property as it raced to the creek. They felt that that should be a one time event. Frank Gaddini explained that the ground water and the systems to manage ground water is very complex and involves many adjoining property owners south and west of our property. The extensive flooding that we experienced is believed to be a one-time event. Frank suggested to the cemetery owner, the possibility of installing a berm along our southern boundary. This idea was not met with resistance from the owner of the cemetery. There was much discussion regarding the flow of water through all the properties involved.

1. Homeowners request to extend rental agreement. Jon Joseph moved and Susan Klein seconded the motion to approve the extended rental agreement, at the request of a homeowner.

2. Architectural Committee guidelines review. Jon Joseph moved and Russ Fryburg seconded to accept the guidelines as presented by the architectural committee. Approved by the board.

3. Approval of heat pump installation. Jon Joseph moved to approve the installation as presented to the architectural committee. Eaton Conant seconded. Motion passed.

4. Gate information for Brookside. The iron gate at Brookside Dr. will remain open while the city is repairing Willamette St.

5. Westbrook Way and Willamette St sign replacement. The college students have been repairing the small brown signs with new paint and lettering. Jon Joseph moved that we explore the replacement of the sign on Willamette St. and Brae Burn. Eaton Conant seconded. Motion passed. There will be meetings with the architectural committee and the artist to determine the costs and designs for new identifying signs. They will report back to the board.

6. Teacher vacation housing trade. Discussion followed. Consensus was that rules shall be followed as listed in the By Laws under rental policies.

7. Community resource list request to be reprinted in FYI. There was also a request to print a vacation rental on our resource list. Consensus was to not give permission to run this on our resource list.

8. Budget needs for 2011. Frank Gaddini reported that we are half way through our fiscal year. As we move towards the latter half of this fiscal year, we will need to re-prioritize the remaining planned work. Our available financial resources will not be able to sustain all of the FY 2010 projects. Frank suggested that the board is going to have to take a serious look at increasing the pace of our facility repairs and improvement projects, as well as our monthly homeowners dues for FY 2011. Frank Gaddini will present some projected costs for next year’s financial needs at the next two board meetings.

Next General Meeting Time and Place:
July 27, 7:00 PM - General Meeting at Clubhouse

The beginning half of the month had to be the rainiest ever. Rain fell at intense levels, and our community was subject to localized puddles and standing water. Our southern board suffered the most with surprise streams of water flowing through the area. The bright side of the rain had to be the spectacular show of color on the many azaleas and rhododendrons that were planted by our predecessors. Our lawns were their greenest, and the wild flora along the creek was rich, vibrant, and thick.

As we entered into the latter half of the month, we brought four college students on board to prune and cleanup areas that had overgrown over the long winter and spring. These young men loaded dozens of barrels of pruning and clippings from the many shrubs and English Ivy beds they cleaned out and defined.

Our lawn contractor also had a busy month performing lawn care and cleaning up many of our planting beds. During the month of June we applied fertilizer to approximately 40,000 square feet of lawn. The efforts of our work should provide us serene green lawns throughout the summer.

1 - reviewed the revisions of the Home Owners' Guidelines. We approved that version and submitted it to the Board. The Board approved it and it was sent to Dave to be included in the next issue of the FYI.

2 - We discussed the request from #70BB to install a ductless heat pump. After taking into concern the placement and aesthetics of the heat pump unit, decibels of the unit, precedents created in our decision we approved the installation of it with the caveat that the home owner be responsible for the expenses of moving the sprinkler head that is in the way. Our recommendation was made to the board. The board approved it.

3 - The rest of the meeting was a lengthy discussion of what to do about replacing the driveway torchiere lighting fixtures. We are waiting for Frank to bring us examples of possible models, so that we can make our recommendation on that.

The meeting of July 20th brought up the issue of the light fixtures. We are still waiting for examples. We discussed the monument issue and clubhouse deck issue. We determined that this are not priorities in our expenses at the moment. We also discussed requesting that a suggestion be made to the board that they insert a line item into the budget in the future for a structural analysis of the clubhouse.

Our next meeting will be August 3rd.
Simone d'Aubigné, Architectural Committee Chair, ( )

June’s maintenance and repair was defined by our first major sidewalk replacement project. We replaced one hundred twenty (120) feet of sidewalk along the southwestern pedestrian path along the creek. Our new sidewalk is reminiscent of the original sidewalk that set forty (40) years ago. The aggregate stone is exposed, but it is much smaller stone. The smaller stone minimizes the risk of slipping during the rainy seasons.

In between rain showers, we re-painted all of our directional signs that are brown with white letters. We even re-painted the entry sign at the corner of Willamette Street and Westbrook Way. We also re-painted all of the various handrails along the Westbrook Way corridor and began the repair and re-painting of the handrails along the creek and BraeBurn These latter handrails will be completed in July.

In our ongoing project to manage rainwater, in the first week of June, we also replaced gutters and downspouts at six (6) more townhomes. One more garage passageway door was also replaced during the month.

Groundwater was a persistent theme during the month with the record breaking and intense rain that fell all around us. A review of ground water management concerns with our neighbor to our south was productive, and we discussed remedial practices to direct ground water to Willamette Street and to the creek along our southern border.

June, like each of our proceeding months, was also a month that focused on project planning and the phasing of upcoming jobs. A great deal of time was invested in preparing the job specifications for July’s first, of a four (4) year cycle, to repave all of our asphalt surfaces; and August’s resumption of painting and re-siding projects.

Administratively, June saw the rebirth of the Architecture Committee. The Architecture Committee will review, recommend for approval, and inspect work that involves changes in the exterior physical environment of our Community. Contact the Architectural Committee if you plan to replace windows, install new heat pumps, or have ideas to share about design issues.

We are also at the midway point of Major Capital Restoration Project. In some cases, we have exhausted the dollars allocated to particular projects like gutter replacement and chimney cleaning. There may be some planned projects for Fiscal Year (FY) 2010 that may require postponement due to lack of funding until next year. Bumping up our homeowners’ dues next year may be necessary to meet the demand of our aging facility.

Frank L Gaddini, Facilities and Operations Director for Edgewood Townehouse Association ( )

Edgewoodhoa.org had 115 visitors who looked at 249 total pages during the time period June 3 to July 8.
Toni Horodysky, Webmistress ( )

During the past month I completed paperwork for two units that are for sale and also an application for a FHA reverse mortgage.

The information I provided includes such items as Proof of Insurance, Reserve Study, Profit and Loss statement, number of units for sale, and much more. Our CC&R’s, ByLaws, Rules and past FYI’s are available on www.edgewoodhoa.org to real estate agents and potential buyers.

ETA’s expenses are right on track with the budgeted amounts. Our only surprise this month was a $() natural gas bill, which probably reflected the cost of heating our pool during the unusually cold June weather.

2. Residents are responsible for insuring that their guests park in designated spaces

3. Vehicles parked on the premises for more than five (5) days shall display a guest parking permit.

5. Violators of the ETA Parking Policy will be processed in accordance under the Oregon Revised Statues and the Eugene Municipal Code. A fine will be assessed to the owner of vehicles parked without a permit at the rate of $25 per day.

1. Pet owners are to be compliant with the City of Eugene, and Lane County, Edgewood Townehouse Association pet rules.

4. The association will fine the homeowner $25.00 for violating the Pet Policy after two warnings.

Home owners contemplating ANY work, changes, repair, replacement, or additions to the exterior of your home, including but not limited to any structural change or additions, new patio floor, dish type TV antenna, hot tub, heat pump, walls, fences, exterior doors or windows, etc., must receive the approval of the Board of Directors of the Association, prior to the commencement of any work or the purchase of any materials. The following procedure will help expedite your project, minimize future problems and help make your project a pleasant experience.

2. Submit a written request, along with a diagram, describing the nature of the project to the Architectural Committee, c/o Simone D’Aubigne, ( ).You will be contacted by a member of the Architectural Committee to make an appointment to look at and discuss your project and the necessary documentation required for consideration by the committee and the Board of Directors. The Board meets on the second Tuesday of the month. Please submit your request to the Architectural Committee two weeks prior to the Board meeting. Include the manufacturer’s published specifications of the materials to be used and a drawing showing how and where the materials are to be installed. Most manufacturers furnish specifications and drawings of their products.

3. It is highly recommended that you use a licensed contractor who carries liability insurance and can provide you with a certificate of insurance. If your project involves a common wall, structural bearing wall, major plumbing or electrical changes, or common fence, the Board of Directors may require this insurance and an “additional insured” bond.

4. Please keep in mind that there are buried water lines, sprinkler lines, sanitary sewer lines, and underground electrical lines on every property in the complex. You have neighbors to consider because of noise during construction and the aesthetics of you project after completion.

5. Submit all of the above mentioned documentation to the Architectural Committee, which, after due consideration, will submit the request to the Board of Directors with their recommendation. The Board will make the final decision, and will notify you of their decision in writing, thru the Architectural Committee chairperson.

[Phone numbers, e-mail addresses, and street addresses have been removed for privacy reasons.]