F.Y.I. The Newsletter of Edgewood Townehouse Association
PO Box 5424, Eugene, OR 97405

February 2011

Important Dates:

Next Regular Board Meeting: Tuesday, March 8, 6:30 PM

(Notices of any special board meetings are posted in the Clubhouse 3 days before date of meeting per Bylaws)

Hospitality Activities:

By-the-Brook Book Group: By-the-Brook Book Group: Wed. March 9, 2 PM
Tuesday Afternoon Teatime: March 15, 3 PM in the Clubhouse.

Contents:

Message From The Board
Announcement!
Quarterly Town Hall Meeting Notes: Tuesday January 25, 2011
Board Of Directors Meeting Minutes: Tuesday February 8, 2011
Reports: Clubhouse; Grounds; Treasurer; Director's
Monthly Banking Activities [Omitted]
Poetry Corner

FYI Info:

Editor: Dave Compton ( )

MESSAGE FROM THE BOARD

Have you thought about your townhouse homeowners insurance lately…? Insurance for townhouse owners generally serves to protect losses to your home stemming from fire, theft, frozen plumbing pipes, damage from windstorms and hail, and much, much more.

Does the Edgewood Townehouse Association have you covered? Better think again. Although ETA has a general insurance policy, it does not cover the interior of you townhouse. If something happens to your townhome, it may be up to you to replace things like drywall, flooring, cabinets, light fixtures, and more. That's where townhouse insurance comes in. Many townhouse associations only insure the building's structure and common areas, leaving each unit's interior construction to the homeowner.

This is where townhouse homeowners insurance comes in to cover costs of items that you are personally responsible for. Below is a typical list of coverage provided by many townhouse homeowners’ insurance companies, but please, check with your policy and your agent to understand your specific policy.

Personal Property Protection
Covers the loss or damage to your possessions. Do you know how much your belongings are worth? The figure is often much more than you may initially think. Taking the time to assess what you own, and to understand how your coverage works, can help you make sure everything you value is adequately covered. Talk with your agent to see what you are covered for.

Family Liability Protection
Provides legal representation and insurance against judgments. In the event that you or anyone in your household is accused of accidentally causing injury or damage to property, your insurance coverage can help by providing for legal defense fees and, in the event of a settlement or judgment, can pay damages up to your policy limit. Check with your agent for details on your policy.

Guest Medical Protection
Covers medical costs for visitors injured at your home. Guest medical coverage, included in most residential insurance policies, provides protection for your guests, should they be injured in or around your home accidentally. Typically, policyholders with
guest medical coverage can feel confident in their ability to help pay for reasonable and necessary medical expenses up to policy limits caused by accidents at your home that are not covered by liability protection. Your agent can tell you more about this.

Additional Living Expenses
Reimbursement for additional costs of temporary housing during reconstruction. It sure is nice to have the resources to pay for comfortable living quarters if you ever have to rebuild your home. It would be tough enough to have to go through the reconstruction. If a covered loss puts you out of your home, many homeowners’ policies will cover the reasonable increases in expenses needed to maintain your normal standard of living. This may include payments for a temporary housing, food, rental income and other expenses. Your agent can explain the detail in your policy.

Building Property Protection
Townhouse owners are typically responsible for insuring their units, and the association is generally responsible for the exterior of the units and the association's property - though that may vary based on the individual state or association requirements. Building property coverage helps protect real property you own (such as fixtures and other installations that are not typically considered personal property) from damage by events such as fire or vandalism. It typically does not include real property that the association or the other townhouse owners' units.

Replacement Coverage
Many policies feature this coverage that allows you to receive the full purchase price of lost items at the time of the claim.

So this February, take a few minutes and check with your agent on the details of your townhouse insurance plan.

EDGEWOOD TOWNEHOUSE ASSOCIATION BOARD
Bruce Trafton, President ( )

Announcement!

Larry Kenton ( ) will be appearing next month as Buddy Plummer in Eugene's Very Little Theatre production of the Stephen Sondheim musical, FOLLIES. The show will run Thursdays thru Sundays 3/11 – 4/3.

The show boasts a large cast and is not often seen due to its complexity and rather dramatic mood. Several of its songs have become Broadway classics, including I'm Still Here and Broadway Baby. The original show in 1971 garnered seven TONY Awards, including one for Best Music and Lyrics. It also won the NY Drama Critics' Award for Best Musical that year.

Larry says that it is more of a musical drama than a musical comedy in the traditional sense, so come forewarned, but enjoy it nevertheless.

Quarterly Town Hall Meeting Notes
Tuesday, January 25, 2011 - 7:00 PM – Clubhouse

Board members present – Bruce Trafton, Suzy Wojcik, Linda Johnson, Russ Fryburg, Eaton Conant, Doug Cone, and Jon Joseph. Susan Klein and Toni Horodysky were excused.

Opening remarks and announcements
President Bruce Trafton welcomed the people attending and asked them to introduce themselves to their neighbor. Trafton gave a brief statement of the association report. Two bids are in for concrete work which will start as early as next week. Also the roof moss removal will start soon. Trafton presented Frank Gaddini, ETA director, with a gift certificate for work well done in 2010. Trafton stated that we are not FHA approved, and we are now in the process for getting that approval, so that it is easier for people to purchase townhomes here.

ETA Director’s Remarks
Frank Gaddini stated that the white paint on the sidewalks indicates where repair in needed and has been bid on. It has been divided up into several pieces. He explained the bidding process with the contractors and how we will proceed. We are already in the planning stages for the 2012 repairs. The monument and property at Brae Burn and Willamette will be cleaned up and repaired as well as that whole corner. The Westbrook Way entry sign has been painted.

Questions, comments, and concerns, from the audience
Questions were answered about the signage on Brae Burn.

Meeting adjourned at 7:15 PM for social time.
Respectfully submitted: Suzy Wojcik, Secretary ( )

Board of Directors Meeting Minutes
Tuesday February 8, 2011, Clubhouse

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

Approval of Minutes of the January 2011 Board of Directors Meeting: It was moved by Jon Joseph and seconded by Russ Fryburg to approve minutes of January 11, 2011, as circulated. Motion passed.

State of Facilities and Operations Report: Frank Gaddini reported on the progress of the work being done and submitted a written report.

Budget Report: ETA’s expenses for January are right on track with budgeted amounts. Our Reserve account grew by just over $30,000 during the past year and will grow by the same amount in 2011. This year, however, we will transfer funds into our Reserve account monthly instead of quarterly.

Standing Committee Reports:
Architectural/Building Committee -- Written report submitted. The clubhouse deck needs attention as well as the Edgewood sign on Willamette and Brae Burn and we will reuse most of the materials in the sign project. Frank Gaddini passed out a “spec sheet” on installing skylights with information telling the homeowner how to proceed with the job. The spec sheets will give the contractors specifications and requirements on installation. The Architectural Committee hopes to have these spec sheets for the homeowners for most commonly done work such as heat pumps, skylights, etc. There was some discussion about architectural changes and the responsibility of the homeowner and association to maintain the changes. It was suggested to put a disclaimer in the spec sheets.

Clubhouse Committee -- Written report submitted. Beverly Day, clubhouse committee chair, was present and stated that the carpet in the clubhouse looked good after cleaning.

Grounds Committee -- Written report submitted.
Swimming Pool Committee -- Pool closed for the season.
Welcome Committee -- No report.
ETA Website -- Written report submitted.

Old Business:
Reserve fund investment strategies. There is $130,000 in the reserve fund at this time, and we need to think about moving $10,000 from the insurance deductible fund to a place that will give us a better rate. Toni Horodysky will proceed with gathering more information about this process.
There was agreement by the board to look into opening two CD’s. The best rate was at OCCU @ 0.85% for $5000.00. We need to move some of the funds from Umpqua Bank to OCCU.

Groundwater intrusion plan from the south -- There is a parcel that is owned by a private party that has the holding pond on it that needs attention, and we need to work in a partnership with him to fix the intrusion problem.

New Business:
Request for parking waiver - There are two requests for parking waivers. One request came from #118 Brae Burn, where a small construction trailer is parked temporarily below the residents’ home during remodeling of their kitchen. The board gave approval to allow the trailer parking until the work is completed. Another waiver request was at #136 Brae Burn for additional guest parking time needed to remove items from garage. The board granted the parking extension.

Review of results of 2011-2012 goals -
Bruce Trafton presented the goals list from the board for 2011-2012
Below is the comprehensive list of goals for Fiscal Years 2011- 2012 that was submitted by Board Members and Committee Chairs. After thoughtful and systematic discussion, the top three goals that were identified as priorities were ranked in the following manner:

1. Ensure current and accurate information is published in all written and electronic documents
2. Stabilize creek with rock and plantings
3. Install new, contemporary signs

The list below represents goals that were submitted, not ranked as priorities this year, but will be reviewed and considered in next year’s Goal Setting meetings:

There was much discussion regarding the goals that the board has listed.

Next Board Meeting Time and Place: March 8, 2011

Adjournment: Meeting adjourned at 8:00PM

Respectfully submitted: Suzy Wojcik, Secretary ( )

Clubhouse Report
February 2011

The clubhouse carpets are clean and they look beautiful. Let’s try to keep them that way. If you use the clubhouse for an event or just to play pool, please clean up after yourselves. We don’t hire someone to come in; we are the people who clean!

Reservations are slow right now so you can probably schedule that birthday party or club meeting pretty easily. Reservation forms are on the bulletin board. Please read the front pages carefully before submitting your reservation and, as always, if you have any questions, please feel free to call or e-mail me.

Bev Day, Clubhouse Committee Chair ( )

Grounds Committee Report

Sperry Tree Care will be site on Feb. 18, working south of the creek this month.

Last month, Sperry pruned one bush and removed another to make room for sidewalk work at the entrance to the pool area. After the sidewalk was replaced and the stump removed, the contract workers cleaned up the area and covered it with bark.

The contract workers also did some early season clean up around the pool area and some rough pruning on several bushes that had grown too high and wide on the Brae Burn corridor.

A gift Austrian black pine from one of our residents was planted on the south bank of the creek near the east bridge to fill in an area from which several dead trees had been removed earlier.

Respectfully submitted,
Jerry Wojcik
Grounds Committee Chair, ( )

Treasurer Report February 2011

ETA’s expenses for January are right on track with budgeted amounts.
Our Reserve account grew by just over $30,000 during the past year and will grow by the same amount in 2011. This year, however, we will transfer funds into our Reserve account monthly instead of quarterly.

Toni Horodysky, Treasurer ( )

Operations and Facility Maintenance Report

January 2011 has not been very quiet month. Although we concluded our leaf blowing management program earlier this month, we continued to hear the roar of power equipment through the end of a very busy month. Stump grinding, roof and gutter cleaning, and sidewalk improvement projects added to the cacophony of sounds in our community. By the 31st of the month, we cleaned roofs, gutters and applied moss deterrent to thirteen (13) of our homes. As planned, we demolished and disposed one-thousand (1,000) square feet of sidewalk. We also performed and completed forty-five (45) discrete jobs during January that included significant pruning and clean-up of our ornamental flowering and evergreen shrubs along the Brae Burn corridor.

Behind the scenes, planning ensued with the Architecture Committee. Project Specification Procedures for Heat Pump Installation, Window and Sliding Door Installation, and Skylight and Light Tube Installation have been drafted and are ready to be published for those homeowners planning these projects that impact our common property elements. If you are planning any project that impacts the exterior of our facilities, please be certain to contact me, or the Architecture Committee prior to engaging in any building improvement activity.

As we enter February, we will be completing our Sidewalk Repair Project and our next round of thirty (30) roofs and gutter cleaning project. Planning also ensued for this year’s upcoming Chimney Cleaning Project which will begin in late February and early March. The tracks have been laid for our maintenance, repair, and restoration projects for the remainder of this Fiscal Year 2011, and I am looking forward to keeping our momentum energized through the end of the year.

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

PARTICIPATORY DEMOCRACY

Almost no one came to the
Meeting last night, The quarterly meeting for
Governance and oversight.

Only board members and
A few citizens true
Bothered to show up
And contribute their views.

Now direct democracy
Has not long been in practice
Except in New England
Where folks were not fractious.

In most other places,
And for 1000's of years
Governance was settled
By blood, fights, and tears.

But we don't wish
To return there
To determine what is right
For you can't manage freedom
By making might right

So participate citizen
And contribute your voice
Give democracy a boost
And exercise your choice.

If you do not do so,
Your liberties could fail
And they might wind up
In that Ol' Birmingham jail.

©Eaton Conant

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

Home