UNAPPROVED
The Villas at Falls Run Condominium Unit Owners Association
Minutes of the Open Forum Meeting of the Board of Directors
January 11, 2007
The Villas at Falls Run Condominium Board of Directors met for an Open Forum meeting on January 11, 2007, at the Center. The meeting was called to order at 7:02PM by Paul Niemi, President, who determined there was a quorum. All Board members were present. Also in attendance were: Jeff Turner, President, Jeffrey Charles & Associates (JCA), and 23 members of the condominium association.
Nancy Garner moved that a reading of the minutes from the working meeting of January 8, 2007, be waived. Joan Bitely seconded the motion and the minutes were approved unanimously.
Jeff Turner provided an overview of his experience and a brief snapshot of the company. He stated that he will personally be the management representative during this year and provided his business card to interested parties. He explained that the toll-free phone number, 877-213-9799, is available during normal business hours, 9:00AM to 5:00PM, Monday through Friday. The number, 703-924-5900, is available 24/7. If a resident has a question or problem, they may call him. The problem will be triaged and handled, if it falls within the purview of the association. If not, the caller will be referred to the appropriate responsible party. He stressed that it is incumbent upon each resident to obtain appropriate insurance in the event their personal property was destroyed. He stated that Association insurance would not cover any enhancements a resident may make to their unit nor any personal property therein.
An Open Forum followed to allow questions from meeting attendees with responses provided by Mr. Turner and members of the Board.
President Niemi then provided his report (attached), followed by reports from each committee liaison (attached).
There was no unfinished or new business discussed.
President Niemi called for adjournment at 8:31PM. All members concurred.
Submitted,
Sherri Burke
Secretary, Board of Directors
The Villas at Falls Run Condominium
President’s Report
Welcome to the first Open Forum BOD Meeting of 2007. It is a privilege for me to serve as your President and for the Board to serve you. The Board appreciates and thanks you for your support. I want to recognize Sherri Burke, our newest elected Board Member and Secretary, who will serve for three years. Sherri replaces Brenda Dudley, who fulfilled her elected term on the Board.
Your Board Members have served faithfully in a very challenging start-up year and have given their All in working for your Association. In our first year, as the record will show, your Board members participated in 28 Working Meetings, Four Open Forum BOD Meetings, a Town Hall Meeting, and the initial Annual Meeting. In addition, your Board members serve as liaison to our own Villas Committees, and some serve on FRCA Committees as well.
When you consider additional involvement with combined meetings of the FRCA and Villa Boards, meetings with solicited bidders for required contracted services, Reserve Study, and legal counsel, etc., you will soon realize that your members participated in more than 50 meetings in the first year (actually 11 months) that your Association has been in existence.
I want to thank all Board Members for their dedicated hard work, support, and commitment and they certainly deserve your show of appreciation! Thank You!
Of course, none of this would be possible without your support and participation on Committees and for the leadership of your Committee Chair persons. At this time, I would like to recognize residents who have served in Villa Committee leadership roles in our first year. If you are here this evening, I would like you to stand as your name is called, and please remain standing while others are called:
Ron Fox-Covenants/Handbook Committee
Sherri Burke-Communications Committee
Dick Haas-Landscape Committee
Dottie Fields-Finance Committee
Don Shiffert-Election Committee
John Balducci-Building Committee
In addition, residents who served on any of these Committees this past year, also please stand! I along with your Board commend you for your service. You all deserve a show of our appreciation and thanks for your participation and leadership! Thank You!
Residents! We need your participation on our Committees. Please become involved in your Community. Sign-up Sheets are available for you to indicate your Committee preference.
As it is customary to report to you Board activity since the previous Open Forum Meeting, a summary of Board Activities for the past Quarter are:
The Near Term Tasks that will receive the Board’s focus are:
· Ensure a successful transition to the new Property Management Company (JCA)
· Review Bids for the Condominium Association Insurance, select the Insurance Provider, and award the contract for 2007.
· Review the Roof Condition Assessment Engineering Report.
· Review the Villas Committee Charters and update as required. Revitalize the Committees with new members as necessary.
· Solicit Bidders to perform the Fire Sprinkler Back-flow Preventer Annual Inspections.
· Determine the amount to be included in the Budget for funding the Reserve Requirements.
Committee Reports
Landscape Committee
Believe it or not, we are in the midst of winter. Mother Nature has not agreed. But, regardless, the landscaping people are doing those things necessary and possible in the cold months. The common grounds have been pretty much tidied up and battened down. Our landscapers, Shenandoah, have removed fall debris and leaves - although some of you have noticed, and mentioned to us, that there are piles of leaves here and there. They were deposited by the breezes that swirl through the varied villas complex. What has not been cleaned up so far will be removed in the spring. And with winter stumbling along, spring shouldn't be too far behind. Remember that when we do get our first wintry blast and we have to pay our first snow shifting bill.
Shenandoah's latest project, under way this week, has been the removal of the stakes that have held up our young trees. Not all will be taken down. Some of the newest trees will need their supports for another season, at least. Some of you, I know, have cut off the plastic ties and the
wires that have attached the trees to the stakes, but have been unable to pull up many of the stakes, themselves. I'm one of them. Shenandoah is doing that.
Also, in the next few weeks - weather continuing to permit - Shenandoah will be edging and "carving" - as Shenandoah's Robert Ashley puts it - the mulch rings around our decorative trees. And you may have noticed in recent weeks the repair work that has been done to the siding and corners of our buildings. The damage was caused, inadvertently, by the crews that maintain the grass. Lawnmowers ran into things, weed-whackers clipped corners and siding as well as grass. More carefulness is expected next season.
Everything else is pretty much bedded down for the season. Much was done this fail to set the stage for new grass and bushes growth in the spring. We have signed a new three-year contract with Shenandoah, that will hold the annual cost at the same figure over that time. And we expect to renew our contract with WCC, the company that installed and maintains our outdoor sprinkler system. They shut it down last fall and we want them to reopen it in the spring, because there have been some maintenance and operational problems that we want them to iron out.
Your individual comments and requests have been welcomed and I hope the Board has helped resolve most of them. But, please, keep in touch.
Villas Communications Committee
As the new year and the new board begins, we find its time to review the charter and mission of the communications committee. We know the board will continue to use the many avenues of communication that have been opened during the past year – the villas web pages, the crawler on channel 11, the center whiteboard, the villas update, and the binder here at the center containing minutes and the update.
We know the Gazette will start a separate board insert in the February issue. One side will be devoted to FRCA board news and the other to villas board news. We plan to take full advantage of this opportunity.
I am delighted to announce an exciting project that is an off-shoot from the committee. Work has begun on the Villas Victuals Cookbook campaign. Meg Martin volunteered to take the lead with the able assistance of Ann Vignerot. She is writing an item for the January update. Details will follow.
What we don’t know is the best way to capitalize on the talent that is out there in our community in supporting these functions. If you are interested in participating in the cookbook project or working on the Update, please sign up at tonight’s meeting.
The committee will meet the second Monday of the month at 10:00 am. Meeting dates are Feb 12, Mar 12, Apr 9, May 14, and Jun 11.
The next scheduled working Board meetings are February 19 and March 19 at 1:00PM and the next open forum is March 22, 2007, at 7:00PM.
Thank you
Report is based on 11/30/06 as we do not have end-of-year figures.
Expect retained earnings for 2006 of about $27,000. These earnings from:
SNOW PLOWING - $13,000 under budget due to Global Warming I guess.
INSURANCE – Almost $5,000 under budget due to a Feb. ’06 to Jan.’07 contract.
WATER - $9,000 under budget due to Stafford County broken water main.
We are a not-for-profit entity so these earnings will be allocated to Reserves which according to a recent Mason and Mason study MAY be under funded.
We faced some major unbudgeted items in 2006. Namely:
BACKFLOW VALVE INSPECTIONS - $7,000
RESERVE STUDY - $5,000
IRRIGATION SYSTEM MAINTENANCE - $3,500
Investments for 2007
$25,000 BB&T CD @ 5% due in February
$50,000 CAB Money Market Account (poor interest rate offset by range of free services)
Smith Barney Account
$50,000 18 month CD @ 4.95%
$25,000 1 year CD @ 5.05%
$25,000 9 month CD @ 5%
Planned Accounts for 2007
Operating Account – for current expenses and deposits
Money Market Account – carry balance covering 2 additional month’s expenses
Reserve Account – accumulation account for Reserve contributions
Smith Barney Account – Long term investments
Important info: Effective January 1, 2007, there will be no Backflow Valve Reimbursements for homeowners using a plumber other than the one under contract to the Villas. Check the Update and Villas Homeowners Handbook for name and phone number.
Extra copies of the “Villas Owners Handbook”, with page 14 to replace the old one, are available by contacting Joan Bitely. We especially want all new residents to have a copy. A new “Important Contact” page will be distributed with the next issue of the Villas Update.
The Modification Committee will have a separate application form for villas owners wanting to make any changes at their residences. It should simplify what is allowed in the villas.
Many owners violated the Holiday Decorations covenant on p. 12 by erecting items on the lawns, which are common grounds. Residents are reminded that sidewalks and between shrubs are places in which they can place flowers, pots or a limited number of decorative items during the appropriate season.
Residents are urged to put inside for storage all flower pots, flower boxes on railings and patio items now that winter has arrived.
Another urgent appeal was made asking residents to call a board member with any question they have, rather than posting a problem on Yahoo. Board members are always glad to answer.
The Villas Board has approved a new Charter for the Covenants Committee. (Published in Working Minutes, Jan 8, 2007). Jeffrey Charles & Associates, Inc. inspections will take place soon, with violation letters being sent out by our new management company.
Don Shiffert and Ann Vignerot are new members of this committee with Joan Bitely as acting chair.
The Building Committee needs interested residents to serve as members. Our Committee strength has dwindled to about half of the initial 10 members due to continuing travel, second home assignments, winter seasonal stays away from Falls Run, Committee retirees for other interests, and the like. Additionally, John Balducci, who served as our Committee Chair, found it necessary to resign due to personal commitments. I serve as Committee liaison and have been filling in during the interim.
We can use your support! The Committee serves a very important function in dealing with Villa Building related issues.
An engineering company authorized by the Villas BOD just completed a sampling of the Villa Buildings for a Roof Condition Assessment. Seventeen of the 55 buildings were inspected in the survey. A formal Report is expected soon.
The Committee is also studying on how to best keep the gutters clean from leaf build-up, since cleaning services for 199 Villa Units is expensive at a cost of $10,000 just for one cleaning. Depending on conditions, one cleaning may not be suffice. Also gutter guard solutions, while seemingly simple enough, can bring on other problems in the process.
Work remains in maintaining the data-base generated from earlier evaluations. Additionally, seeking solutions for protecting A/C units and villa buildings from landscape work crew damage are worthy of further investigation.
Sign-up sheets are available for you to indicate your Committee interest. Your participation in the community is so essential and important to its success and for achieving maximum return on maintenance and care expenditures.
Your Help is needed!