Meeting Minutes:
INFORMATION ONLY
NOT TO BE CONSIDERED MINUTES
NOT A TRANSCRIPT
Notes from Board of Directors Meeting
May 16, 2007
The Falls Run Community Association, Inc.’s Board of Directors met on May 16, 2007 for a Work Session at the Center. The meeting was called to order at 7:00 PM by Bill Nosal, President. A quorum was present. Board members attending were: Bill Nosal, Mal Malo, Toni Brown, Art Gabler, and Dan Owens. Chuck Heath and Jim Stagner were away. Also present: Marvin Wagner, Parliamentarian; Sylva Southwell, Property Manager, Armstrong Management. Mal Malo moved, 2nd by Art Gabler to approve and suspend reading of the minutes of May 2, 2007. Carried unanimously. Bill Nosal gave a special thank you to Jake Bernard for all of his work on the water falls. A new filter system has been installed and the water is running once again. Dan Owens thanked Mary Owens for all of her work in getting the card table tops refurbished. They look great, Mary! Art Gabler thanked the two young ladies registering meeting attendees for the Red Cross Blood Drive, his wife Eloise and Mary Owen. Toni Brown thanked her wonderful husband for making sure the Board had a working PA system for the meeting. (By the time the kudos got to Art and Toni, there was laughter all around though the thank yous were no less sincere.) Treasurer’s Report – Mal Malo The auditor has indicated we should have a draft of the 2006 audit by the end of May. 1. The unaccounted for $93,600 will be shown as an accounts receivable from the Villas. The Villas have filed a claim with the insurance company for the apparent missing funds. 2. Merrill Lynch has confirmed the check for $62,000 was never cashed. A stop payment has been made and a new check will be issued. 3. Our 2007 financial position is solid and within our budget. There is an approximate surplus of $70,000; however, the Board is still being frugal until final reports have been received. Toni Brown clarified with Mal that the $93,600 Villas assessment was included as income in 2006. What that means is when the $93,600.00 is finally received by the Falls Run Community Association, it will clear the accounts receivable and go directly into the cash account. There will be no impact on 2006 reported income. Property Manager’s Report – Sylva Southwell Ann Jones, Activities Director, has been advised by the director of Charitable Gaming that we can legally play Bingo once again and that no permit is required for our circumstances. However, because of the previous advice received from our attorney, we will await confirmation from our attorney. His response is expected within the week. Sylva reported that a County of Stafford inspector submitted a "Stafford County Inspection Report-Correction Notice" for the outdoor pool as follows: 1. DO NOT USE POOL 2. Pool has not had proper inspections or permits 3. Need Electrical Permit 4. Need proof of Bonding/Grounding Sylva’s response was immediate and she is working with all of the necessary contractors, and county officials to insure that any and all deficiencies are corrected before the scheduled May 25th opening of the outdoor pool. Another big thank you to Pulte/Del Webb! A review of incomplete action items included the Storm Water Management Pond #5. Farrar worked on the pond clearing it of debris and reported the pond in good shape although after the clean-up the pond is not retaining any rain water. Pulte will donate boulders to be placed at the Gladstone Gate to help prevent trespassers from going around the gates in their vehicles. No time frame has been established. Property manager’s office should be complete by May 25, 2007. The Board agreed that Sylva is authorized to spend an amount not to exceed $1,500 for furniture. It is possible the construction costs for the office could come in below the $10,000 authorized. That being the case, the cost for the office including furniture could be lower than the $10,000 allowed. Mal Malo asked Sylva to verify that our trash contractor, Waste Management, is not charging for more than 582 single family residents and 199 villas. Sylva will report at our next meeting. New Business Lawns. Some residents are allowing weeds to grow to unacceptable heights. Mal Malo moved, 2nd by Art Gabler, to authorize management to issue a certified notice to residents if lawns do not meet Modification Committee standards. The letter will give the owner five to seven business days to mow the lawn. If owner does not comply, management will arrange for the lawn to be mowed at a cost of $25.00/ hour which will be added to owner’s assessment. Subsequent Member Fee Residents should be aware of Article 7.4 of the Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions. The Article covers the Subsequent Member Fee which becomes very important when an owner sells his house. Marvin Wagner, Chairman of the Covenants Committee, was asked to write a clarification of the terms of the Subsequent Member Fee in an effort to be sure that all residents are aware of it. Residents should look for this clarification in the June Gazette insert. It will also be ‘published’ on our Web site, as well as the Marfuggi and Yahoo internet sites. Mal Malo pointed out that this fee represents approximately $25,000 of income to the community each year. Open Forum 1. Bob Gilbert, Chair of the Community Center Committee, announced that Lin Bailey, our new handyman/custodian, is doing a great job, cleaning where no cleaner has gone before. 2. The question of resuming poker at the Center was raised, but no resolution was reached. We have an opinion from our attorney and for now, the Board is following his advice. 3. The trash pickup schedule was discussed again. As reported in the May 2 meeting notes, the Waste Management Contract will not be renewed automatically and contractor has been notified. The Board will be considering various options such as reducing pick-up to once a week, a seasonal pick-up with two pick-ups during the summer and one during winter. Armstrong Management will get cost information of the various options to help in making a final decision. The recommended option for the contract will be discussed at future open forum prior to decision making. The Board is aware this is an issue with differing opinions being expressed. We welcome all to use this opportunity to express their views to guide the Board in the decision making process. A member of the audience pointed out that in addition to twice a week garbage pickup, we also have a recycling pickup. 4. Teenagers have been seen on the property with bikes and skate boards. A resident was addressed in a threatening manner and wasn’t sure how to respond. Without question, the sheriff should be called and any incident reported. As a reminder, soliciting is not allowed in Falls Run and should be reported. 5. A resident asked if skate boards are allowed. Also questioned whether we should be required to have a life guard at the indoor pool. A life guard is not required at the indoor pool and signs are posted warning residents they swim at their own risk. 6. There was an incident at the Community Center recently causing some concern about the safety of concierge and residents. A young man, not a resident, asked and was allowed to use the men’s room. After some time went by the concierge on duty (a woman) realized the man was still in the building. She observed that he was in the fitness center, not using the equipment, but there. When he realized she was watching him, he went back into the men’s restroom. At that point the concierge asked a male resident to escort him from the premises which was done without incident. This is a matter of some concern and the concierge staff will be reviewing various recommendations to ensure the safety of the concierge and residents. Neighborhood Watch will begin including at least one stop at the Center on each patrol to confirm with the concierge on duty that all is well. Toni Brown agreed that the safety of all is a major concern, but at the same time, one incident should not cause an over reaction on behalf of the Board or any committee. Toni also stated that she was not in favor of locking the front door, a step that was taken after the reported incident. Various safety recommendations are going to be reviewed and all concierges will be briefed. 7. Nancy Arnn related an incident when a resident became ill at the Center but refused medical attention. Nancy emphasized the need for a wheel chair at the Center to be used in such cases. Perhaps there is someone in the community who would donate an unused wheel chair to the Center. 8. The routine maintenance of SWM Pond #4 (on Bridgewater) has been an issue for many years. There is no routine maintenance on any of the SWM ponds throughout the community. A resident in attendance pointed out that he has been taking it upon himself to clean debris from the basin of pond #4, otherwise, it would be let go completely. The Board and the community have been made aware that Pulte has contracted with Farrar to do all necessary work to the ponds in the community in order to clear the bonds held by the County. That being true, it is still necessary to have regular maintenance done. Sylva will check with Shenandoah Landscape and report back. 9. Netting covering the grassy areas of the common areas has been picked up. If there is any remaining netting, please call Sylva to report. She will see that it is taken care of. 10. Do we know yet whether or not Falls Run has been damaged by the Koger fraud? Nothing definitive has been determined and won’t be until we have the final 2006 audit. 11. Middlebrook Gates. Middlebrook is not configured for two lanes of traffic. It has always been one lane. If the entrance were to be converted to two lanes, at a cost of approximately $20,000, once through the gate, the entrance would not be wide enough for two cars causing a new problem. The cost of removing the flower pots and narrowing the entrance to one lane is approximately $20,000. There is no easy fix. 12. The plantings at the Bridgewater railing are alive, small, but alive. There is no water source, however, resulting in slow growth. In time, the vines should mature and cover the ugly railing. 13. Art Gabler announced there will be a Red Cross Blood Drive on June 5, 2007. Please sign up to give blood. 14. There was a lengthy discussion during the Open Forum session about the advice given by our attorney concerning bingo, alcohol consumption, playing poker, etc. One resident of the community with a great deal of experience with these various matters stated that none of these should be an issue for our community and that we should just ignore the advice of our attorney, consider it bad advice and resume all currently banned activities in the community. While the Board respects the comments by this resident and his knowledge, we are at this time constrained by the legal advice of our attorney. As much as we would like to waive it aside and carry on as before, it is not prudent to do so at this time. Information has been passed to our attorney and we have asked for additional research to determine the merits of any opinion suggesting that we should reinstate the activities in question. The Board will await the attorney’s response. Mal Malo moved, 2nd by Art Gabler to adjourn at 9:00 PM. Carried unanimously. The next meeting of the FRCA Board will be a working session May 23, 2007 at 10:00 AM at the Center. This will begin the new schedule of FRCA Board meetings announced earlier: New Board Meetings Schedule: Beginning: May 23rd and every 4th Wednesday thereafter- 10:00 AM at Center for Working Session. June 13th and every 2nd Wednesday thereafter - 7:00 PM at Center for Open Forum.