F.Y.I. The Newsletter of Edgewood Townehouse Association
PO Box 5424, Eugene, OR 97405January 2012
Important Dates:
Next Regular Board Meeting: Monday, February 13, 6:30 PM
(Notices of any special board meetings are posted in the Clubhouse 3 days before date of meeting per Bylaws)
ETA QUARTERLY MEETING, TUESDAY JANUARY 25, 7 P.M.
In the clubhouse
Hospitality Activities:
By-the-Brook Book Group: By-the-Brook Book Group: Wed. February 8, 2 PM
Tuesday Afternoon Teatime: February 21, 3 PM in the Clubhouse.
Contents:
Message from the Board;
Board Meeting Minutes: 1/10/12;
Announcements;
Reports: Facilities; Website; Treasurer's;
Monthly Banking Activities [Omitted]
Profit and Loss [Omitted]
Flier re: event on Feb. 6 [Omitted]FYI Info:
Editor: Sara Mitchell ( )
MESSAGE FROM THE BOARD
In this letter from the Board, we look back over the past year, and we look forward toward the future. The one thing we can say about the past year is that we accomplished an extraordinary amount of repair and restoration work on our common property. Of course repair and restoration were not our only accomplishments. Indeed, the transition of our banking operations out of the bank and into a local credit union was the highlight of our financial business activity. Our Reserve Fund, the money we save each year for major restoration, like new roofs, is earning twice as much as it did in the bank. And, in our business practices, we developed standards and specifications to manage the many contractors that work on our common property. On governance issues, we settled a few policy issues, including vehicle parking.
But now, let’s look forward. 2012 promises to be another year of ambitious repair and restoration to our common property. Sidewalk replacement, siding replacement, and repainting will continue to progress. Water management, summer irrigation and winter groundwater, will also continue to progress over the year. This year, we plan to focus on the irrigation system along the Brae Burn corridor, and we plan to focus on the standing groundwater that sometimes pools in our lawns along the Westbrook Way corridor during the heaviest rains. On the grounds, our focus will be extensive cleanup along our Brae Burn edge, and since all of our Brae Burn/Brookside asphalt driveways are repaved, we will be focusing on the three remaining Westbrook Way driveways.
On business matters, the Board plans to undertake updating our outdated Home Owner Dues collection policy. The Board also plans to develop a new information packet to guide sellers and their real estate agents on a checklist of important items to address when selling a property. Conversely, the board plans to develop a new information packet of our rules and policies for buyers to consider before becoming part of our Association. More ambitiously, the Board plans to explore the process for updating the CC&Rs, although this undertaking is still a few years away from being addressed. The Board simply wants to know and understand the processes involved.
Recognizably, our Association has improved over the past few years, and on behalf of the Board, I want to thank everyone who has contributed with their thoughts, support, concerns, and compliments for making the Association a great place to live.
Bruce Trafton
President, Edgewood Townehouse Association ( )
IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENTS:
1. Meet and greet your neighbors at the Quarterly Meeting this coming Tuesday, January 24, at 7 p.m., at the clubhouse.
2. Disaster Preparedness: This is a hot topic these days! At the end of this newsletter you’ll find a flier which announces a general information meeting on February 6, for all neighbors in this area. In addition, several of us here in Edgewood Townehouses are working with Action Plan Eugene to map out the needs and resources of our community. We’ll explain more at the Quarterly Meeting.
3. Our friends at Pro-Vent are once again offering us a special rate this year for inspecting and cleaning dryer vents. Their rate is $60, a group discount rate of 50% off. Poorly maintained dryer vents can cause fire hazards and higher operations costs. Please call Matt Bennett at 541-912-1210 to schedule a cleaning.
EDGEWOOD TOWNHOUSE BOARD OF DIRECTORS BUSINESS MEETING JANUARY 10, 2012
MEMBERS PRESENT: Linda Johnson, Bruce Trafton, Jolene Baron, Russ Fryburg, Toni Horodysky, Frank Gaddini.
CALL TO ORDER: Bruce Trafton called the meeting to order at 6:45 pm on Tuesday, January 10, 2012.
MINUTES OF THE DECEMBER 2011 MEETING were approved as published in the FYI.
STANDING REPORTS:
Treasurers Report:
1. Toni announced that our new Oregon Community Credit Union (OCCU) checks have been printed and all of our payable transactions will be on the new checks. With this transfer all of our financial services will be managed through OCCU.2. Toni reported that the investment interest return from OCCU last year has far exceeded the interest returns from our former bank, the Umpqua Bank.
3. Toni reported that currently only two homeowners continue to be in arrears with Homeowner Dues for four months, and legal action will now be undertaken to recover the dues.
4. She reported that we ended Fiscal Year (FY) 2011, $__ over budget, but this was a scant amount considering that our annual 2011 FY was nearly $___. The overrun was likely the result of an unexpected repair on our common property at 87 Westbrook Way.
State of Facilities Report:
1. The written details of Frank Gaddini’s report are included in this edition of the FYI.
2. Frank commended the Board on managing a successful FY 2011 budget. And, even though we overspent $__ to cover an unanticipated event, this only represents an overrun of .02 percent. He reported that all of our planned work and $___ of Capital Improvement Projects were completed on time and within the allotted budget(s). Frank complimented the Board for increasing the productivity of interest income from the reserve fund by changing banks, and for their commitment to building the fund to cover the costs associated with future, and long-term, major capital restoration projects. He also praised the Board for building confidence and trust among the Association’s membership as very capable leaders and business people.
OLD BUSINESS: Bruce reported our only Old Business concerned a follow-up on completing the transfer of our bank account out of Umpqua Bank and to our new bank account at OCCU.
NEW BUSINESS:
1. Election of the Board’s Executive Officers (President, Vice-president, Secretary, and Treasurer)
Jolene moved to re-elect all of the Executive Officers. Linda seconded the motion. Discussion ensued regarding the vacant Vice-president seat, and it was decided to postpone the election of this seat until the February 2012 Business Meeting when all the members will be present. The motion was amended to reflect this change. Bruce Trafton was re-elected as President, Suzy Wojcik was re-elected as Secretary, and Toni Horodysky was re-elected as Treasurer.2. Parking Waiver Request(s)
5 Westbrook Way requested a parking waiver to park a visiting relative’s vehicle in guest parking for up to six months. The Board approved the request for six months.3. Leaf Management Service Annual Service Contract
Frank reported that Marlon and Son Landscaping has been awarded the Leaf Management Service Contract for FY 2012. The contract began on January 1, 2012 and runs through December 31, 2012. There are twenty-two (22) service days in this contract and we will be using four of them in January and the remainder beginning in October 2012. Frank suggested that next year, we explore inviting contractors to bid on Leaf Management on a two or three year basis to lock prices in for thirty-six months of service minimizing uncertainty.4. Policy and Process to Collect Arrears Home Owner Dues (HOD)
Bruce reviewed the history of past practices and attempts to redress the policy to collect arrears (HOD) and the inconsistency of enforcing and applying these policies. He has set a goal to creatively implement a consistent written policy that equitably manages arrears HODs for years to come. The policy is intended to address the few recidivists who habitually fail to pay HODs for months at a time.Bruce submitted a three-step model:
1. HODs are payable on the 1st day of the month
2. Send a reminder notice on the 10th of the month
3. Assess an appropriate penalty fee on after 30 days of non-payment.Bruce also discussed the need to have plan to address homeowners who have special circumstances and who notify the Board of their need to be late with HODs.
Frank also presented a written model policy for the Board to review to process arrear HODs. He called it:
Program to Process Arrears Home Owner Dues: The Five-Step Program
1. Day 1: Home Owner Dues are submitted to the Association.
2. Day 16: Assign Financial “Late Fee” penalty to recover the costs of extra bookkeeper management required to process late payments and loss of investment interest.
3. Day 31: Dispatch Legal Notice “Thirty Days’ Notice of Intent to File Collection Complaint” with State of Oregon Circuit Court. Apply all costs to process the Legal Notice to the violator.
4. Day 61: File “Collection Complaint” with State of Oregon Circuit Court. Apply all attorney costs for processing and representing the legal/financial costs in the State of Oregon Circuit Court and seek legal judgment to be recorded against violator.
5. Implement a Waiver Program for violators with substantiated and extraneous financial circumstances.
The Board discussed the two models and noted that there were similarities between them. After lively discussion and critique, they arrived at a blending of the two models for review at the next monthly Board Meeting and Town Hall-Style Quarterly Meeting. They did want to want to call the fee a “penalty” fee. Instead, they suggested simply referring to it as a “late” fee. They also thought that it was important to send reminders to homeowners who may have forgotten to pay fees. The reminder would be sent approximately on the fifteenth (15) day of the month. They also thought that any late fee should be assessed after the twentieth (20) day permitting anyone who was late an opportunity to submit their monthly HOD. By blending both models, the Board arrived at a draft model to review, as stated below:
Program to Process Arrears Home Owner Dues: The Six-Step Program
1. Day 1: HODs are payable on the 1st day of the month.
2. Day 13: Send reminder notice.
3. Day 20: Assign Financial “Late Fee” to recover the costs of extra management required to process late payments and loss of investment interest.
4. Day 31: Dispatch Legal Notice “Thirty Days’ Notice of Intent to File Collection Complaint” with State of Oregon Circuit Court. Apply all costs to process the Legal Notice to the violator.
5. Day 61: File “Collection Complaint” with State of Oregon Circuit Court. Apply all attorney costs for processing and representing the matter on behalf of the Association in the State of Oregon Circuit Court and seek legal judgment to be recorded against violator.
6. Implement a Waiver Program for violators with substantiated and extraneous financial circumstances.
Announcements
No announcements
NEXT BOARD MEETING TIME AND PLACE:
The next regularly scheduled Board Meeting will be on Monday, February 13, 2012 at 6:30 PM in the Clubhouse. Normally, the Board meets on the second Tuesday of each month, but the February meeting will fall on Valentine’s Day. In respect for those who celebrate this tradition, the meeting was set for Monday.ADJOURNMENT: The Meeting adjourned at 9:15 PM.
Respectfully submitted,
Frank Gaddini, for Suzy Wojcik
December 2011 Facilities and Operations Report
This State of Facility Maintenance Report will look back not only on December 2011, but also look back over the past twelve months. In December we continued to push ahead on a wide variety of maintenance work. We completed fifty-one (51) jobs during the month. Leaf management continued twice a week and most of our deciduous trees had shed their leaves with the exception of only a few colorful Sweet Gum trees with unshed leaves. And although temperatures dropped, we did not see any widespread freezing or rain; but when it did rain, it poured as microbursts of unleashed torrents of rain. We responded to five (5) water intrusion incidents. Two (2) townhomes reported water leaking through roof vents, two (2) garages reported water seeping through roof gable walls and (1) incident of groundwater intrusion pooling inside the garage. The townhomes were addressed and repaired successfully, and the garage water intrusions are still being managed.
Pruning trees and ornamental shrubs, as well as hand pulling blackberry canes out of bark beds along the Brae Burn corridor, consumed a large portion of our time during December. The most complex facility repair job during December was the straightening and stabilizing of the chimney at 50 Brae Burn. Helical piers (structural steel rods) were driven down to bedrock under the chimney and then set under the chimney’s foundation. The chimney was then lifted to its original position and stabilized. A local, expert foundation repair company performed the work quickly and successfully. A sliding glass patio door on our common property was also replaced with a new vinyl thermo-pane door. Worked also progressed on the masonry monument on the corner of Willamette Street and Bra Burn. The steel letters have been removed and the top six (6) feet of the block and stonework of the monument was dismantled for reuse and recycling. Over the next two months we will restore the stonework and restore the monument’s roof cap while the Board considers future plans for this landmark.
Looking back over the past year’s maintenance is always important to measure the success of our work. Altogether, we completed and recorded a notable seven hundred sixty-nine (769) jobs over the past year. The lion’s share of our work was performed on the grounds. Interestingly, however, of all our categories of maintenance and repair, roof maintenance and repair accounted for seventy-four (74) jobs throughout the year. Outdoor lighting accounted for fifty-four (54) jobs that included re-lamping existing light fixtures or new, energy-saving fixture installations. Inconspicuously, but observably, we performed thirty-five (35) groundwater improvement projects on our property, and even assisted our neighbor to the south in resolving a persistent clog in their storm sewer system that overflowed onto our property during the most intense rainstorms. Irrigation repairs accounted for twenty-two (22) jobs that focused on replacing underground valves, sprinklers, and pipework. In addition the roof maintenance and repair work stated above, we replaced twenty (20) gutters and downspout systems on our townhomes. And, under our continuing program of exterior chimney surface maintenance, we managed sixteen (16) chimney masonry restoration jobs.
The year also saw the pressuring washing and removal of moss from over eighty (80) percent of our sidewalks as well as the removal and replacement of one thousand (1,000) surface feet of new concrete sidewalk. An important achievement over the year was identifying safety and risk issues on our common grounds with the help of our insurance company. Twenty-nine (29) of our jobs were specifically focused on addressing safety issues and risk issues on our common property.
We completed all of our planned Capital Improvement Projects, on time, and within the allotted budgets – although some projects were reduced in scope. Asphalt was completely resurfaced in two driveways along Brae Burn (all of the Brae Burn and Brookside driveways are now resurfaced). We repainted one complete building, several garage doors, and various sides of buildings. Siding was completely replaced in three (3) patio areas and one building had thirty-five (35) sheets of siding replaced along it south elevation. Three (3) front doors were restored and three (3) garage doors were replaced.
Our association is built along both the north and south banks of the Brae Burn Creek. Twenty-four (24) of our townhomes are situated along the north bank of Brae Burn Creek and referred to as the Brae Burn/Brookside corridor. Sixty-six (66) townhomes are built along the south bank of the Brae Burn Creek and it is referred to as the Westbrook Way corridor.
Percentage wise, twenty-seven (27) percent of our facilities are along the Brae Burn/Brookside corridor and seventy-three (73) percent of our facilities are along the Westbrook Way corridor. Statistically and/or proportionately, however, we performed more of our work, thirty-eight (38) percent of our jobs, along the Brae Burn/Brookside corridor this past year. Only sixty-two (62) percent of our work focused on Westbrook Way jobs.
The past year has seen a remarkable amount of planned, quality work improving our common property. I am excited, and looking forward to the 2012 Fiscal Year, in continuing the planning and organizing the work of restoring and maintain our facilities and grounds.
Have a healthy and prosperous 2012,
Frank L. Gaddini, Facilities and Operations Director ( )
Treasurer Report, January 2012
Again, this is a reminder that your dues need to be paid on the first of each month, so that ETA can pay its bills on time.On December 31, 2011 our total cash on hand was $___. This includes two CD’s of $__ each set aside for two insurance deductibles and a $___ CD for part of our Capital Reserve. The remainder of our Capital Reserve is in a Money Market Account.
We have nearly completed the changeover to Oregon Community Credit Union from Umpqua Bank.
Toni Horodysky, Treasurer ( )
Edgewood Townehouse Association Website, January 2012
Our website, www.edgewoodhoa.org had 26 visitors who looked at 45 pages during the period December 11 to January 5.Toni Horodysky, ( )
[Phone numbers, e-mail addresses, and street addresses have been removed for privacy reasons.]