2016/12/08 Minutes HIDDEN LAKE ASSOCIATION BOARD MEETING
Amended Minutes
December 8, 2016
Home of Dick Scofield
Present: Dick Scofield, Bill Osterhout, Jack Page, Dian Mathews, Donna Moxley,
Mike Kelley
1. Previous Minutes: Minutes of Nov. accepted as distributed
2. Treasurer’s Report:
Accounts: Checking = $72,389.11
Emergency Contingency CD = $37,363.82
Rainy Day Savings = $13,631.50
Unspent Boat Fees = $4,701.41
Accounts Receivable = $10,849.52 13 members have Past Due amounts.
Awaiting plumber’s bill for pool closing.
Reviewed Past Due accounts with new lawyer, Daddario. He will send out 11 demand
letters.
Paid Frank Stuckey a total of $4,900 for brush cutting.
3. Roads
Frank Stuckey’s contract for branch cutting has been rec’d and signed. Have had one
member – new to our winter roads – call to complain about conditions. Dick & Donna
have responded.
4. Recreation
The AED from the Town of Stoddard has been installed on the north wall outside
Rossi Hall. We will look into a sign so members know we have it and where it’s
located. It will be posted on HLA’s website.
5. Attorney Contact Persons
MOTION: Dian/Donna “We move that the officers of HLA be approved as
persons who can approach our lawyer.” Passed
6. Frequency of Meetings: We will continue to hold monthly meetings on the
second Thursday of the month. Other meetings can be called if needed. The length
of a meeting being held to two hours is “admirable,” but we can extend the time if
an issue warrants the time.
MOTION: Jack/Bill “We move that HLA Board meetings be kept to two hours,
but can be extended if needed.” Passed.
7. Notes from preliminary meeting with new lawyer, Gary Daddario:
1. HLA CAN charge members an assessment for each lot, whether or not
their lots have been merged by the Town of Stoddard. At stake here is
‘equitable recompence”. The Town loses no funds by merging lots and
HLA should not have to suffer financial loss by that merger. (The other HLA
members end up paying for that loss of funds.)
2. HLA CAN amend its Covenants. Our Covenants only cover wording about
TERMINATING the association. We are not really a condo association. Gary will
look at corporation regs to see if their wording may apply legally to us. He will
find a “fair, equitable, reasonable procedure” based on his research. We might
send a letter to the members asking for input.
We MUST register any changes we make with the Registry of Deeds to make
the changes legal.
3. He suggests that our By-laws need to contain and spell out procedures for how
we do business. He also suggested that we use PROXY votes and will help us
develop a procedure for that.
8. Noga Recommendations: The Board spent the next hour discussing Tracy Noga’s
recommendations. We only got through half.
Meeting adjourned: Motion -Dian/Donna 8:59 PM
Dian Mathews, Recording Secretary
Amended Minutes
December 8, 2016
Home of Dick Scofield
Present: Dick Scofield, Bill Osterhout, Jack Page, Dian Mathews, Donna Moxley,
Mike Kelley
1. Previous Minutes: Minutes of Nov. accepted as distributed
2. Treasurer’s Report:
Accounts: Checking = $72,389.11
Emergency Contingency CD = $37,363.82
Rainy Day Savings = $13,631.50
Unspent Boat Fees = $4,701.41
Accounts Receivable = $10,849.52 13 members have Past Due amounts.
Awaiting plumber’s bill for pool closing.
Reviewed Past Due accounts with new lawyer, Daddario. He will send out 11 demand
letters.
Paid Frank Stuckey a total of $4,900 for brush cutting.
3. Roads
Frank Stuckey’s contract for branch cutting has been rec’d and signed. Have had one
member – new to our winter roads – call to complain about conditions. Dick & Donna
have responded.
4. Recreation
The AED from the Town of Stoddard has been installed on the north wall outside
Rossi Hall. We will look into a sign so members know we have it and where it’s
located. It will be posted on HLA’s website.
5. Attorney Contact Persons
MOTION: Dian/Donna “We move that the officers of HLA be approved as
persons who can approach our lawyer.” Passed
6. Frequency of Meetings: We will continue to hold monthly meetings on the
second Thursday of the month. Other meetings can be called if needed. The length
of a meeting being held to two hours is “admirable,” but we can extend the time if
an issue warrants the time.
MOTION: Jack/Bill “We move that HLA Board meetings be kept to two hours,
but can be extended if needed.” Passed.
7. Notes from preliminary meeting with new lawyer, Gary Daddario:
1. HLA CAN charge members an assessment for each lot, whether or not
their lots have been merged by the Town of Stoddard. At stake here is
‘equitable recompence”. The Town loses no funds by merging lots and
HLA should not have to suffer financial loss by that merger. (The other HLA
members end up paying for that loss of funds.)
2. HLA CAN amend its Covenants. Our Covenants only cover wording about
TERMINATING the association. We are not really a condo association. Gary will
look at corporation regs to see if their wording may apply legally to us. He will
find a “fair, equitable, reasonable procedure” based on his research. We might
send a letter to the members asking for input.
We MUST register any changes we make with the Registry of Deeds to make
the changes legal.
3. He suggests that our By-laws need to contain and spell out procedures for how
we do business. He also suggested that we use PROXY votes and will help us
develop a procedure for that.
8. Noga Recommendations: The Board spent the next hour discussing Tracy Noga’s
recommendations. We only got through half.
Meeting adjourned: Motion -Dian/Donna 8:59 PM
Dian Mathews, Recording Secretary