F.Y.I. The Newsletter of Edgewood Townehouse Association
PO Box 5424, Eugene, OR 97405January 13, 2008
Important Dates:
General Membership Meeting: Tues, January 22, 7:30 pm
Next Board Meeting: Tues, Feb. 12, 7 PM
Saturday Morning Social: Feb. 9, 10:30 am
By-the-Brook Book Group: Wed, Feb. 13, 2 pm
Contents:
Board Message
Association News
Board Minutes
Treasurer's Report (incl. 2008 Budget)[omitted]
Manager's Report
Committee Reports: GroundsEditor: Gloria Gehrman
A message from your Board of Directors:
Dear ETA Homeowners,
First of all, Happy New Year to each of you! We hope you have a happy, healthy, and prosperous 2008!If our Association is going to have a happy and financially healthy new year, big changes need to occur. At our quarterly general membership meeting on January 22, there are two urgent matters to be discussed.
WE NEED YOUR HELP!
1. We have overspent our 2007 budget. Fiscally, we have been borrowing Peter to pay Paul" and not attending to all needed expenditures as a problem was identified. That is why we have struggled with who is responsible for garage doors, front doors, exterior repairs, etc., during 2007. We just plain do not have the money to do all that is needed with our current dues/fees structure.
We will not collect enough money to finance the necessary and emergency expenses for 2008, even with the slight increase in dues. Therefore, how can we fund the board approved 2008 budget? This approved budget (a copy is attached) has an approximate [ ] shortfall to cover projected expenditures. Sharing this [ ] burden among the 89 owners could result in a $350 assessment per owner, to get us through the 2008 year.
The challenge doesn't stop there. We will need to increase dues again (possibly beyond 4%) in order to fund the next year, 2009. Also, should any emergencies occur outside and above the current budget, we might have to ask owners to approve another assessment in 2008.
There needs to be an overhaul in our attitudes and outlays towards maintaining this beautiful place in the high quality condition we all want, to maintain our home's value.
2. At the January board meeting, when we traditionally elect new officers, we discovered that of the nine board members, no one agreed to be President or Treasurer. We cannot function as an organization without these two positions.
These are the options that we see, at this point, for addressing the lack of volunteers for the board positions:
1. Seek other owners within ETA who have the necessary skills to volunteer to be President and Treasurer. This would result in two current board members resigning their positions, as we have a full compliment of board members now (according to the CC&R's).
2. Hire a management company. That will cost money to do, a monetary disadvantage of this option. And management companies work with boards, not for or instead of boards.
3. Hire a person who knows how to do the tasks of keeping a close eye on the fiduciary responsibilities of ETA.
4. Change our bylaws to allow the President and Treasurer to be compensated for their work. A couple of owners have expressed willingness to consider taking on the positions as paid work.
Please mark 7:30 PM January 22, on your calendar. We need maximum turnout at the general membership meeting to decide the way forward on these two issues.
ETA NEEDS ALL OUR HELP!
Your Board of Directors,
Gwen Acker [ ]
Larry Hilliard [ ]
Bev Behrman [ ]
Barbara Kensler [ ]
Doug Cone [ ]
Michael Landes [ ]
Russ Fryburg [ ]
Bill Skillern [ ]
Gloria Gehrman [ ]
Association NewsFrom the Grounds Committee:
Our two new grounds maintenance companies (TruGreen & Clearview) are up and running!
TruGreen
You'll see the four-member TruGreen crew in their uniforms (green and yellow rain suits at the moment) every Tuesday and Wednesday. They arrive early, around 7am (no noisy equipment until after 8am). Overtime, they'll be doing a thorough cleanup in all areas of the property. The crew manager is Stacy. All TruGreen employees have been screened thoroughly and schooled in grounds maintenance and plant information.The first of the quarterly TruGreen walkaround audits was done on January 3 with Jarle Stenerson, TruGreen Field Manager; Susan Smith, Grounds Co-Chair; and Camilla Pratt, Board member/Past President, spending 3 hours surveying nearly every nook, cranny, and cove, discussing ETA needs, problem areas, doable solutions, etc. Quite a change from our prior grounds companies. Jarle is an excellent resource person interested in doing an excellent job, communicating with all the ETA homeowners and creating an overall plan for us. We're looking at having a special meeting for all ETA homeowners in the coming months, so Jarle and the Grounds Committee can explain the options for various areas of the complex, get your ideas, and answer questions.
Clearview Tree Specialists
In late December the Pin Oak in front of Julianne Marquardt's house [ ] caused concern with its creaking and groaning. Clearview inspected the tree and found it to be healthy. Two safety cables were placed in the tree.Our Sweetgum trees are especially susceptible to breaking at this stage of their maturity, so Clearview has been installing cables in various trees along WW. They will continue to survey more Sweetgums in the next couple months and make sure they are healthy and properly maintained. They will also tend to some trees on the BB side. Wayne continues to work along the creek, getting rid of poison oak and blackberries. Be assured that any chemical that Wayne and TruGreen use is healthy for all creatures and the environment.
Questions? Requests? Fill out a work order and slip it in the clubhouse mail slot.
Susan Smith, Grounds Co-ChairCommunity Reminder:
Please clean up after your dogs. ETA walkers have noticed an increase in "dog droppings" throughout the ETA grounds. Please be courteous and clean up after your "best friends." There is a trash can in the picnic area to dispose of the plastic bags. Also, if you see non-ETA residents walking their dogs through the property, a gentle "please clean up" reminder is appropriate.Ping pong update:
Clubhouse Committee chair Nancy Callaghan would like to thank the following neighbors for their contribution to the cost of the ping pong table and accoutrements: Lee Benton-Williams, Nancy Callaghan/Michael Landes, Russ Fryburg, Linda Johnson, Marge McDaniels, and Pat Nugent for the table; Mike Metzler for transportation; and Michael Landes and Nancy Callaghan for the nets, paddles, and balls. Nancy is still accepting donations to defray the remaining cost of $40 for the table.Rules/instructions for use of the table have been posted in the table's corner of the clubhouse.
New Board members take their seats:
2008 brings us three new board members to replace the retiring Julie Ann Marquardt and to fill earlier vacancies. We thank Julie Ann and all our volunteers for their service to the organization.Say hello to Barbara Kensler [ ] who has lived in Eugene for 43 years, here at Edgewood 1 + years. A graduate of the Art Institute of Chicago, Barbara is a practicing artist - a painter and worker of wood. She has done commissions for local banks, restaurants, and other businesses. Her work can currently be found in several local galleries.
Doug Cone [ ] has been a homeowner at Edgewood for 24+ years. In the past he has served as board member, president, and on the building and grounds committees. His working background was 20 years in the family lumber business.
Gloria Gehrman [ ] has lived at Edgewood for 6+ years. Gloria has been retired for about a year, having worked for 40 years in public libraries in Wisconsin, Idaho, Washington, and Oregon. She reads a lot and communes with her cat Lorelei.
Arrivals and Departures:
We have lost two of our neighbors. Phil and Tulsa Backus (54 WW) died within days of each other at the end of December. Their extra-ordinary 25,000 days together was beautifully remembered with the help of Bob Welch in the January 10 Register-Guard. (The column is also available online as of this writing and in the clubhouse.)Arrivals and Departures will be featured regularly as news of our present and former neighbors becomes known. Please notify the FYI editor as you become aware of news of note.
EDGEWOOD TOWNEHOUSE ASSOCIATION
Meeting of the Board of Directors
January 8, 2008The meeting was called to order at 7:00 p.m. by Vice President Russ Fryburg. Those present were Board Members Russ Fryburg, Gwen Acker, Camilla Pratt, Michael Landes, Bev Behrman, Larry Hilliard, Barbara Kensler and Doug Cone. Bill Skillern was not present. Other Homeowners in attendance were Susan Smith, Nancy Callaghan and Gloria Gehrman and Wayne Baker.
Minutes of December 11, 2007 meeting: The minutes were approved as printed in the FYI.
Manager's Report: Wayne Baker presented a written report - see attached. It was suggested that major events with which he deals be listed in his report so that homeowners are made aware of problems he deals with.
Treasurer's/Budget Report: Camilla Pratt. January 8, 2008 ETA Treasurer's Report
ETA's regular account balances as of December 31, 2007 are [omitted]
For 2007, ETA was [ ] over budget (26.5%).So far in January ETA has paid [ ] for moss removal, gutter cleaning, and installation of gutter guards on certain units. This cost, if assigned to the 2007 fiscal year would have further escalated the overage in General Maintenance.Tish Larsen, our bookkeeper, is very concerned about the money that has been spent over the last six months on the association needs, which was not budgeted for and is not available to cover, without moving money from other budgeted areas into this area, thereby depleting the money available in other areas. We continue to juggle monies without having the base to cover the expenses. For the past 12 years, Tish's responsibilities have been assisting ETA in reconciling accounts and providing advice to the treasurer. Now she increasingly has to warn us about dangerously under funded areas in our budget. This entails paying attention to areas that should be being covered by our in house treasurer and board.
In 2007 Tish became ETA's bookkeeper, and in that capacity she writes checks for vendors and other entities, maintains account records, and provides several kinds of financial statements. Deposits of all income are made by our neighbor Barbara Greenley or by the treasurer. Two authorized signatures are required on every check issued.
Some important responsibilities of the ETA Treasurer:
- Collect and endorse incoming checks, leaving them in the safe for Barbara to deposit.
- Ensure that vendor invoices are valid for payment.
- Get two signatures for checks and mail checks.
- Chair the Budget Committee
Capital Reserves Tish cautions that the Board of Directors must formally approve tapping Capital Reserves before that money can be transferred to Operations. A motion for this must include a plan for restoring that money to Capital Reserves, which means going to Association members for a special assessment.
Camilla Pratt has submitted her resignation from the office of Treasurer as well as from the Board, to become effective at the conclusion of the January 8, 2008 meeting.
Grounds Committee Report: Susan Smith
On January 3, 2008, Jane Stenersen, field manager for TruGreen, did a three hour walk around with Susan and Board Member/Past President Camilla Pratt. Jarle is a very knowledgeable, practical, and creative person who outlined a number of doable options for trouble spots throughout the complex. He also gathered information for a long-term plan for the ETA grounds. The TruGreen crew of four people will be working every Tuesday and Wednesday, arriving early morning (no loud equipment will be used before 8 a.m.) Stacy is the name of the crew manager.A copy of the report from Clear-view Tree Specialists, Dave and Deanne DeVore is attached.
Brae Burn Creek Project Report: Camilla Pratt
- Current account balance is [ ]
- The City is processing my request for eligible expenses except those for the project manager. A payment of [ ] will be forthcoming. As soon as I have sufficient detail on invoices from the project manager, I will submit that request. This should amount to approximately []
- Outstanding homeowner assessments are at [ ]
- Removal and replacement of the 32 foot bridge cost [ ] including engineering costs. Our cost-share agreement with the City excluded any bridge costs.
- The promissory note in the amount of [ ] is payable January 20.
- ETA should have approximately [ ] left when reimbursements are received and our debt paid.
- Planting of the stream bank will be finished before December 31 when our Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board grant expires. This grant will pay for plants and planting.
- Money remaining in the BBC Project account could be used to replace the upper bridge.
Building Committee Report: Larry Corlew has submitted his resignation due to health issues. It is hoped that Bill Skillern and Mike Metzler will take on the responsibility for this committee.
FYI Committee: Gloria Gehrman
Upon motion of Larry Hilliard and second of Bev Behrman, the Board elected Gloria Gehrman to fill the vacancy left by the resignation of Camilla Pratt. She will continue as FYI Editor.Clubhouse Committee: Nancy Callaghan reported that the ping pong table, and equipment have been purchased. Several residents have contributed to the purchase of the ping pong equipment, however, more contributions will be welcomed. At the present time about half the purchase price has been covered by donations. If you would care to contribute, contact Nancy. If you wish to use the new addition in the clubhouse, please read and follow the directions left there.
Old Business: There was no old business.
New Business: Board officers for 2008 were discussed. Russ Fryburg agreed to remain as Vice President. Gwen Acker will remain as Secretary. Larry Hilliard will continue to supervise the facilities manager. The positions of President and Treasurer have not been filled. Doug Cone will assist with the Treasurer's responsibility until the position has been decided.
The Board met in Executive Session.
The meeting was adjourned at 9:50 p.m.Respectfully submitted,
Gwen Acker
Secretary
EDGEWOOD TOWNEHOUSES FACILITY MANAGER REPORT
January 8, 2008
I Updates & Progress
A. Individual Residents Gutter and Downspout Cleaning, Moss removal and treatment with Gutter-guard installation, Completed Jan.7.B. ETA Bid recommendation for repairs to #124 BB was turned down by resident. Repairs have stalled by contractor she hired, underestimated work (reflective in Low bid). To complete work, time and materials only bids: Stars & Stripes $70.00(@2 men) Hour labor plus materials. Greggs Construction: $85.00 Hour labor Plus materials. No other bids.
C. Sidewalk and walkway repair project on hold for now.
D. Thompson finished, left several piles from major storm to be removed (4 requests).
II. On Going
1. Pressure washing walks Westbrook Way progressed to north of #121, south to #101.
2. Removing excess brush, by hand and Safe practice defoliant. Small brush and trees also as approved by the Grounds committee, and Tru-Green Landscaping.
3. Corrected drainage problems @ #160 and #185 WW.
4. Exterior light fixtures on paths and sidewalks, are wearing out and breaking, replacing and repairing as needed.
Respectfully Submitted
Wayne Baker- Manager Edgewood Townehouses
JANUARY 8, 2008
ETA BOARD MEETING REPORT
GROUNDS COMMITTEE
Status Report for CLEAR VIEW TREE SPECIALISTSNOVEMBER:
In November we, unfortunately had to remove two storm damaged Sweetgum Trees. At that time our attention was drawn to several other Sweetgum Trees in the same area that were in need of some safety precautions.DECEMBER:
In December we installed three safety cables in two different Sweetgum Trees on the Westbrook Way area of the property. We received a call from Susan Smith in late December letting us know that a Pin Oak tree was creaking and swaying in the high winds. The roofers were present at the time were alarmed and installed a temporary solution (they attached a come-along at the base of twin trunks) Upon our inspection it was decided to install two permanent safety cables in the Pin Oak Tree.In January we installed the two safety cables in the Pin Oak Tree near #121 Westbrook Way as well as two safety cables in another Sweetgum Tree near #67 Westbrook Way. There are several Sweetgum Trees which we have determined could use some safety cables. So we will have our focus on maintaining the safety of the big trees for the next few months. The Sweetgum trees are especially susceptible to breaking at this stage of their maturity. So we will inspect each tree and make a decision as to what would allow the trees to continue maturing in the safest way possible. They tend to hold their leaves late into the season and this can cause trouble in wet windy weather.
Kind regards
Deanne
Dave and Deanne DeVore Clearview Tree Specialists
www.freewebs.com/friendlyridgebacks[Phone numbers, e-mail addresses, and street addresses have been removed for privacy reasons.]