F.Y.I. The Newsletter of Edgewood Townehouse Association
PO Box 5424, Eugene, OR 97405March 2012
Important Dates:
Next Regular Board Meeting: Tuesday, April 10, 6:30 PM
Quarterly General Meeting: Tuesday, April 24, 7:00 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. April 11, 2 PM
Tuesday Afternoon Teatime: April 17, 3 PM in the Clubhouse.
Contents:
Message from the Board;
Announcements
Board Of Directors Meeting Minutes: Tuesday 3/13/12;
Reports: Grounds; Facilities; Website; Treasurer's
Monthly Banking Activities [Omitted]
Profit and Loss [Omitted]FYI Info:
Editor: Sara Mitchell ( )
MESSAGE FROM THE BOARD
Last month’s Letter from the Board reviewed the history of Edgewood Townehouse Association genesis, and how a unique combination of architects, planners, and builders laid the foundation for a community of privately owned townhouses to be built in a private, communally owned park. Their vision has been sustained and managed for forty years, owing much to the stewardship of many former and current homeowner volunteers who have served in the Association’s leadership positions.
Our current Board of Directors, like their predecessors, understands the importance of their stewardship in operating the business of the Association. To move the Association forward, they have hired a seasoned professional manager, wisely invested in both a Reserve Study and Reserve Fund, started a process to review and update policies, and prepared long-range maintenance plans to ensure the Association’s physical and financial health. For the past two year’s, the Board has held an annual planning session to identify annual goals, ones that can be measured every twelve months so that assessment of achievement can be measured.
Five goals for Fiscal Year 2012 include:
1. Prepare a Board of Directors’ Mission Statement
2. Proceed with Sign Development for three corners of our property: Willamette Street and Brae Burn Drive, Willamette Street and Westbrook Way, and Brae Burn Drive and Brookside.
3. Implement a program to verify Homeowners’ Liability Insurance
4. Prepare a Sellers and Buyers Information Packet
5. Continue to review and update our CC&Rs and Association Rules in accordance with the law.So far, the Board has resolved its goal for a mission statement. The mission statement that the Board has resolved for itself to manage the Association’s business is: “To Preserve, Restore, and Maintain”. The aim of the Board’s mission statements is to clarify the Board’s purpose. It gives direction to a single-minded focus towards a worthwhile goal – our properties. This goal has been reduced down into a simple, concise, elegant statement announcing the Board’s goals, and serving as a compass for leadership decisions.
As for other goals in Fiscal Year 2012, the Board has already moved towards developing new signage and is waiting for artist renderings to review. Another Board goal to implement a program to verify homeowner’s liability insurance coverage. This goal is in the early stage of discussion and review. The Board is looking forward to announce some its ideas on this matter at the next quarterly meeting. The last two goals the Board has identified for itself – review and updating of the CC&Rs and a Sellers and Buyers Information Packet are in very early stages of brainstorming, and will most likely be addressed by the Board in the latter portion of the year.
The Board and management team are excited about the prospects for the future that enhance the livability and value of our properties.
Bruce Trafton
President, Edgewood Townehouse Association ( )
ANNOUNCEMENTS
WELCOME to our newest residents, Bill Benson and Sandee Jones, who are moving into 155 WW. May you enjoy the beautiful setting and congenial neighbors!
A REMINDER from the Board-----
The alleys behind our garages are designated as fire lanes; therefore, no vehicles can be parked there. It is understood that workmen often need to park behind garages temporarily to load and unload tools, but the vehicle should be moved as soon as possible.
Realtors and prospective buyers should be advised to park in designated parking places or in garages.
ARE YOU READY?
A forest fire races down the hill towards ETA. You have three minutes to evacuate. Are you ready? A 9.0 earthquake strikes the Cascadia Subduction Zone from Crescent City, California to British Columbia, and Eugene gets badly shaken. All utilities are disrupted for a long time. Are you ready?
According to city staff, after a major earthquake, FEMA would focus on Seattle and Portland. Eugene has 1 emergency or public works employee per 99 residents, so we cannot count on their immediate help. We need to prepare to help our neighbors and ourselves.
The city of Eugene wants to help you to be ready and have instituted a two-pronged approach: first, to prepare you to live without utilities or outside help after a major earthquake or even a lesser disruption such as an ice storm that knocks out electricity. Second, to guide you in preparing to evacuate on a moment’s notice in case of fire, chemical spill, or the like.
For the first scenario, Eugene wants residents to organize themselves into small groups with volunteer group leaders. These leaders would maintain a list of residents in their group, including those who have training in first-aid, and would check to see if anyone is trapped in their home. Group leaders would delegate people to shut off gas meters, and would have the location of rescue aids, such as saws and crowbars.
We would divide ETA into 5 or 6 groups, and we need several leaders for each group to cover if someone is away from home. If you are willing to be a group leader, please put a note in the Clubhouse slot, or send an email to Toni.
The second part of preparedness is to have an evacuation kit ready, either in a backpack or rolling suitcase. The Red Cross http://www.redcrossstore.org, Amazon.com, and Costco.com sell 72-hour kits, and of course you can prepare your own.
You would add a change of clothes and pet supplies to the list of items included in the Red Cross kit:
Backpack with additional pouches to hold your personal items like for medications and important documents
1 Flashlight (batteries included)
1 Water-resistant radio (3 AA batteries included)
1 Emergency blanket
2 Food bars, 4,800 calories total
Work Gloves, 1 pair
3 12-Hour light sticks
6 Moist towelettes
1 N-95 breathing mask
Plastic sheeting, 10' x 10'
1 Rain poncho
1 Roll of duct tape
Emergency water (2 quarts)
1 Water container (holds 2.5 gallons)
1 Whistle
1 Personal first aid kit, including an assortment of bandages, gauze and ointments
1 Personal hygiene comfort kit, including shampoo, body wash, wash cloth, toothbrush, toothpaste, comb and deodorant
1 First Aid and Emergency Preparedness Guide
Read more at FEMA’s website http://www.ready.gov/
Look at the videos at Action Plan Eugene:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUXbsDkyKPw
www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfF1ZLBIzx0Submitted by Toni Horodysky, ( )
EDGEWOOD TOWNEHOUSE BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING, March 13, 2012
Call to Order: The meeting was called to order at 6:30 PM by Bruce Trafton. Board members present were Toni Horodysky, Russ Fryburg, Suzy Wojcik, Linda Johnson, Doug Cone, Jolene Baron, Bruce Trafton and Susan Klein. Excused was Jennifer Smith. Also present was Frank Gaddini.
Approval and Acceptance of Minutes: A call was given to approve and accept the minutes of the February 13, 2012 meeting, as published in the FYI newsletter. Russ moved that the minutes be approved. Toni had one correction and added that the board agreed not to pay back borrowed money from capital reserves. Approved as amended.
Treasurers Report: Two people are behind one month in their dues and two are behind two months. Written report submitted. One CD is maturing.
State of Facility Report: A written report was submitted. Frank read his report for the board. Construction has started on some of the garage door replacements.
Standing Reports:
Clubhouse Committee: A new clothes rack and hanger were installed in the clubhouse.
Architecture: No report.
Grounds: Written report was submitted.
Swimming Pool: Closed for season.
Welcome Committee: No report
Website Committee: Written report submitted.
Emergency preparedness: Written report to be in the next FYI.
Old Business:
Continue mission statement discussion - Several choices were discussed, including:
To insure the long-term financial health and natural beauty of ETA.
The ETA board is an elected body of volunteers whose purpose is to build a strong community by managing assets, ensuring compliance with the homeowner, and preserving property values of owners.
To direct fiscally responsibility, and responsible improvement and maintenance of buildings and grounds in order to keep ETA a desirable place to live.
To preserve, restore, and maintain. The Board approved this mission statement.
Continue goal-setting discussion --
Bruce read the list of goals that was printed in the last FYI. Discussion followed on the following items:
Homeowner insurance on each unit. Consensus was to proceed with this requirement. There was some discussion regarding coverage of each unit and how to comply and how much coverage is enough. The bylaws need to be changed to include the addition of this requirement and they need to be re-registered with the county clerk. We need more information about what is covered by the Association policy vs. homeowner policy. As a board we are concerned about the homeowners liability coverage. Board members will review their own homeowner policies for the next board meeting.
The signs are in progress.
Replacing the pool lounges or painting the current ones was discussed. Frank will paint one as a test.
Continue discussion of homeowner/realtor packets.
The CCR’s also need revision.
New Business:
Waiver requests -- The homeowner at 27 WW has a Toyota and Vanagon and needs to have until April 15th to park in the guest parking while cleaning the garage. Approved. It was discussed that a review date for each request needs to be established.Discussion of reinvesting matured CD’s -- Russ moved that we keep investing of the matured CD to a one-year term. There was no second. Jolene moved to invest the matured CD for 36 months. Susan seconded. Russ opposed the motion. Motion passed.
Wildlife policies -- Nutria are on the property. We can leave them alone or move them out of the area and dispose of them in a humane way. Russ proposed that any Nutria be trapped and moved. Bruce stated that we should hire a professional to trap them and move them. Toni moved that we do so. Jolene seconded the motion. Motion passed.
Announcements --
Jolene moved to adjourn the meeting at 8:00 PM. Toni seconded. Motion passed.Next Board Meeting date and time: April 10, 2011, 6:30 p.m.
Suzy Wojcik, Secretary, ( )
March 2012 Grounds Committee Report
The hourly employees will continue to mow lawns until our contracted grounds maintenance company takes over.
The spring treatment and maintenance of the grassy areas has started. Fertilization of the flowering shrubs is also on the schedule.
Jerry Wojcik, ETA Grounds Committee Chair
February 2012 Operations and Facility Maintenance Report
February 2012 was a month in transition. The most salient observation throughout the month was the natural environment’s decay, decomposition, and disintegration. Nature has been burying her foliage, and setting the stage for Spring’s rebirth. The beauty of this month is observing the natural cycle of metamorphosis from death to reincarnation. Our Grounds may not appear kept, tidy, and trimmed this month as nature transforms herself, but we have managed many landscaping activities nevertheless. The work on our facilities, however, has been unceasing throughout the month of February.
Notably, the south side sidewalk intersection of our Long Wood Bridge and the Brea Burn Creek was replaced with new concrete walkway, and the north side sidewalk intersection of our Short Wood Bridge was also renovated with new concrete walkway. Moreover, at the end of last year’s budget preparation and review, the Board approved a plan to replace all of our overhead garage doors over a seven (7) year phase-in period, and this February we replaced the first two (2) overhead garage doors, of ten (10), that we will manage this year.
Roof maintenance also consumed a significant amount of our attention in February 2012. In our continuing maintenance goal to clean and treat each roof and gutter in our community, we serviced thirty-three (33) roofs, cleaning off all debris, clearing all the gutters, and applying hydro zinc sulfate to retard the growth of moss on these roofs. We have now completed two-thirds (2/3) of our facilities’ roofs, with the remainder scheduled for early March 2012. In addition to roof maintenance, we successfully preformed repairs to another leaking roof, the fourth this year, where the plastic seals around the attic vents deteriorated.
All in all, we preformed sixty-three (63) recorded maintenance jobs during February, as well as planning and preparing for the next month’s maintenance activities.
Frank Gaddini, Facilities and Operations Director
___________________________________________________________________________________Edgewood Townehouse Association Website, March 2012
Our website, www.edgewoodhoa.org had 34 visitors who looked at 61 pages during the period February 11 to March 8.___________________________________________________________________________________
Treasurer Report, March 2012
One year ago ETA invested the cost of two insurance deductibles ($5,000 each) in CD’s with differing maturity dates at Oregon Community Credit Union. One of those CD’s matures in March, and the Board will decide on the term for the renewal.ETA’s biggest expenditures this past month were the quarterly payment of $__ for the Association insurance policy with State Farm and $__ for new sidewalks.
I’ve also fielded many questions from real estate agents regarding the sale of 147WW.
[Phone numbers, e-mail addresses, and street addresses have been removed for privacy reasons.]