HIDDEN LAKE ASSOCIATION BOARD MEETING
Amended Minutes
September 3rd, 2014
Rossi Hall, 7 PM
Present: President-Ellen Mason, Treasurer- Jack Page, Secretary- Dian Mathews, Directors- Bryan Bruder, Dick Scofield, Matt Wheeler.
I. Minutes – Discussion about how long minutes should be kept up on the BBs? We decided to keep the minutes from the two BIG meetings and the last, current set of Board meeting minutes up (over the winter also).
MOTION: Dick/Bryan “Move to accept the minutes of the Aug. 20th, 2014 Board meeting.” PASSED
II. TREASURER’S REPORT – The CD has almost $37K; checking= $66,500;
Receiving= $11,700. 24 members are unpaid; 1 is making payments.
Taxes are due 9/15.
No luck yet w/ the audit (We couldn’t get a loan w/out an audit being done.) An audit committee is suggested. Members of the committee would be people w/ a financial background – NOT Board members. A CPA is too expensive. We’re looking for the books to be “reviewed or inspected”.
III. ROAD REPORT – Dick would like to see the Board approve The Five Year
Plan. The only change from year to year would be capital improvement based on unplanned circumstances.
MOTION: Dick/Dian “Move to approve The Five Year Plan.” PASSED
The Road Committee will meet in October to get together bid specs. Grading will start earlier next year. We’ll try to get the gravel in here before the roads are closed. The target date is May 15th, 2014 when the roads are opened, weather permitting.
E-mail from Hutch re: beavers He has a family in the bog behind his house. The trapper will remove them for nothing if we can wait until November (trapping season). We are paying for the beaver trapping now at the culvert by the Smith’s property because not doing so might allow damage to occur to our culvert there. The culvert WAS cleaned out. Dale Smith will be asked to remove the fence he erected, which has caused the beavers to fill up the other end. Bob Warner had volunteered to help us clean it out again. We will wait until the beavers are gone. We’ll send another letter to Dale asking him to remove his fence or we’ll do it at his expense.
Dick will speak to Frank about the status of the brush cutback.
Are we still going to be storing our sand on Frank’s property?
IV. WATERFRONT REPORT – The invoice for the Rossi Hall has not been
settled. We agreed on a price of $340. The invoice is $387.
MOTION:Dick/Dian “Move to pay the agreed upon price now”. PASSED
Matt will work with Bryan on the waterfront, learning the ropes. (Matt will
also learn about the roads.)
Clarification: The 5% taken out of the Waterfront Budget is earmarked for
use at the waterfront ONLY.
IV. COVENANTS COMMITTEE REPORT – The draft policy on trailers, etc has
been finalized. Our focus is on SAFETY, HEALTH and PROPERTY VALUES. We are focusing on one policy at a time.
MOTION: “Move to adopt HLA POLICY #1 Policy on Restrictive Covenant (2) USES: ”Except as hereinafter provided. All lots in the subdivision shall be used for residential purposes only. No trailer, modular or mobile homes shall be allowed thereon without the written consent of STODDARD.” PASSED
The next HLA POLICY #2 will be a policy about “No building, fence…
shall be erected…unless its plans….have been filed and approved by STODDARD.” Jack spoke to Maria about conflicts between the Covenants and our Bu-Laws. She said the Covenants take precedence. She also said we should fix the conflicts. For example: The By-Laws grandfathered in multiple lots owned by the same person.There are 36 HLA owners and 14 JLN owners (of multiple lots).
V. No Corresponding Secretary’s Report (Lexie did e-mail the Board copies of
the letters she has sent out on our behalf.)
VI. UNFINISHED BUSINESS – The Director’s Liability Insurance is not good. It
was the lowest bidder. Directors and former Directors are not covered if sued. We decided to go with our current agent, but to get better coverage to cover former Board members for two to three years.
POLICY for HLA to pay for work done on private, member’s property will be on a case by case basis. (examples: fallen trees and beavers)
We decided to draft a letter to Linda Nicol and Pauline Beaudine in response to their inquiry about their wall.
VII. NEW BUSINESS – Dick proposed a new committee to look into the
feasibility of HLA becoming a Village District. He volunteers to be the Chair of the new committee and will solicit members for the committee.
The committee will look at the pros and cons for HLA. What we know so far: a Village District has three Commissioners; properties are reassessed and assessments are paid to the Town of Stoddard which disburses monies to us to pay our bills; warrants are presented at an annual meeting (for the pool, docks, etc); JLN would be included; only full-time residents can vote. Ellen will ask Pat Putnam about the $disbursement to Granite Lake Village District. A ¾ majority vote would be required.
What about a management company to run HLA? We should research this
Also and report both to the membership.
Next Board meeting will be October 8th, 2014 at Rossi Hall, 7PM (or at Dian’s if it’s too cold then.)
Meeting adjourned at 9:40 PM.
Dian Mathews, Recording Secretary
Amended Minutes
September 3rd, 2014
Rossi Hall, 7 PM
Present: President-Ellen Mason, Treasurer- Jack Page, Secretary- Dian Mathews, Directors- Bryan Bruder, Dick Scofield, Matt Wheeler.
I. Minutes – Discussion about how long minutes should be kept up on the BBs? We decided to keep the minutes from the two BIG meetings and the last, current set of Board meeting minutes up (over the winter also).
MOTION: Dick/Bryan “Move to accept the minutes of the Aug. 20th, 2014 Board meeting.” PASSED
II. TREASURER’S REPORT – The CD has almost $37K; checking= $66,500;
Receiving= $11,700. 24 members are unpaid; 1 is making payments.
Taxes are due 9/15.
No luck yet w/ the audit (We couldn’t get a loan w/out an audit being done.) An audit committee is suggested. Members of the committee would be people w/ a financial background – NOT Board members. A CPA is too expensive. We’re looking for the books to be “reviewed or inspected”.
III. ROAD REPORT – Dick would like to see the Board approve The Five Year
Plan. The only change from year to year would be capital improvement based on unplanned circumstances.
MOTION: Dick/Dian “Move to approve The Five Year Plan.” PASSED
The Road Committee will meet in October to get together bid specs. Grading will start earlier next year. We’ll try to get the gravel in here before the roads are closed. The target date is May 15th, 2014 when the roads are opened, weather permitting.
E-mail from Hutch re: beavers He has a family in the bog behind his house. The trapper will remove them for nothing if we can wait until November (trapping season). We are paying for the beaver trapping now at the culvert by the Smith’s property because not doing so might allow damage to occur to our culvert there. The culvert WAS cleaned out. Dale Smith will be asked to remove the fence he erected, which has caused the beavers to fill up the other end. Bob Warner had volunteered to help us clean it out again. We will wait until the beavers are gone. We’ll send another letter to Dale asking him to remove his fence or we’ll do it at his expense.
Dick will speak to Frank about the status of the brush cutback.
Are we still going to be storing our sand on Frank’s property?
IV. WATERFRONT REPORT – The invoice for the Rossi Hall has not been
settled. We agreed on a price of $340. The invoice is $387.
MOTION:Dick/Dian “Move to pay the agreed upon price now”. PASSED
Matt will work with Bryan on the waterfront, learning the ropes. (Matt will
also learn about the roads.)
Clarification: The 5% taken out of the Waterfront Budget is earmarked for
use at the waterfront ONLY.
IV. COVENANTS COMMITTEE REPORT – The draft policy on trailers, etc has
been finalized. Our focus is on SAFETY, HEALTH and PROPERTY VALUES. We are focusing on one policy at a time.
MOTION: “Move to adopt HLA POLICY #1 Policy on Restrictive Covenant (2) USES: ”Except as hereinafter provided. All lots in the subdivision shall be used for residential purposes only. No trailer, modular or mobile homes shall be allowed thereon without the written consent of STODDARD.” PASSED
The next HLA POLICY #2 will be a policy about “No building, fence…
shall be erected…unless its plans….have been filed and approved by STODDARD.” Jack spoke to Maria about conflicts between the Covenants and our Bu-Laws. She said the Covenants take precedence. She also said we should fix the conflicts. For example: The By-Laws grandfathered in multiple lots owned by the same person.There are 36 HLA owners and 14 JLN owners (of multiple lots).
V. No Corresponding Secretary’s Report (Lexie did e-mail the Board copies of
the letters she has sent out on our behalf.)
VI. UNFINISHED BUSINESS – The Director’s Liability Insurance is not good. It
was the lowest bidder. Directors and former Directors are not covered if sued. We decided to go with our current agent, but to get better coverage to cover former Board members for two to three years.
POLICY for HLA to pay for work done on private, member’s property will be on a case by case basis. (examples: fallen trees and beavers)
We decided to draft a letter to Linda Nicol and Pauline Beaudine in response to their inquiry about their wall.
VII. NEW BUSINESS – Dick proposed a new committee to look into the
feasibility of HLA becoming a Village District. He volunteers to be the Chair of the new committee and will solicit members for the committee.
The committee will look at the pros and cons for HLA. What we know so far: a Village District has three Commissioners; properties are reassessed and assessments are paid to the Town of Stoddard which disburses monies to us to pay our bills; warrants are presented at an annual meeting (for the pool, docks, etc); JLN would be included; only full-time residents can vote. Ellen will ask Pat Putnam about the $disbursement to Granite Lake Village District. A ¾ majority vote would be required.
What about a management company to run HLA? We should research this
Also and report both to the membership.
Next Board meeting will be October 8th, 2014 at Rossi Hall, 7PM (or at Dian’s if it’s too cold then.)
Meeting adjourned at 9:40 PM.
Dian Mathews, Recording Secretary