2019-09-10

  HIDDEN LAKE ASSOCIATION BOARD MEETING
                                       Tuesday, September 10, 2019 - 6:30 PM
                                                       ROSSI HALL

                                                           MEETING MINUTES

Guest: Bryan Bruder; Discussion: Move wall back from road

Volunteers: Alexia Currie, as Corresponding Secretary; Bob Frietag, as interim secretary

Board Members:  Mike Kelley, Bob Lucas, Donna Moxley, Jacky Hastings, Mike Gallagher by phone

1. Acceptance of board minutes from August 13 meeting.

2. Bryan Bruder request to move/reconstruct the stone wall in front of his house.

Bryan Bruder appeared before the Board to request permission to move the stone wall in front of his house back approximately five feet. It is an old pre-existing wall and is not considered a property boundary. Bryan consulted with Harry Powers the Stoddard Compliance Officer and confirmed that the Town does not enforce the 25ft rule from the center of the road. Final placement of the reconstructed wall may still be approximately five feet short of the required 25ft, but Bryan is not required to move the existing wall, and it is not practical for him to move it back any further. Bryan received unanimous Board approval with the condition that the wall never be moved any closer to the road in the future.

3. Committee Reports

Recreation (Board discussion as Mikki was not able to attend this Board meeting)
- Little Library
  - A Stoddard resident has proposed providing a book drop for residents to donate or exchange books to promote a local literacy program. Andora Forest manager discouraged putting it by our mailboxes. The donor has decided to put it elsewhere in Stoddard.
- Playground Fundraiser
  - The initial goal was to raise ~ $6,000.00 for a donated four-wheeler. Ticket sales are now at ~ $3,000.00. Regardless of total sales the four-wheeler will be auctioned off on Columbus Day 10/14/19.
- Solar Panels
  - The solar panels on the roof of the pool house were damaged and are no longer functional. The propane heaters were only used twice this season, but the solar heaters will need repair or replacement for next season.

Waterfront
- The docks at the waterfront will be removed on 10/12 with a rain date of 10/13. Volunteers are invited to participate.
- The decking will be stored in the shed, and the aluminum frames will be stored in the pool area.

Roads
- We are in our last year of a three year contract for snow removal, and will be going out for bid.
- Any residual funds from the 2020 budget will be used for general repairs this fall. This will include the repair of a sinkhole on Fox Hill Rd. The cost is not-to-exceed $2,000.00.
- Brush cutting will be deferred until the spring/summer of 2020 due to budget constraints. HLA residents willing and able are encouraged to cut back any brush along their road frontage to help with snow removal this winter. A suggestion was made to investigate the possibility of using goats or sheep to groom the area around the Hidden Lake dam. Local farmers and 4H club will be contacted. Any HLA resident with contacts in these groups are encouraged to reach out to a Board member.
- Due to safety concerns, Lexie will contact Jim Coffey to investigate adding additional stop signs on Kings Hwy at the mailboxes in both directions. The school bus picks up at the mailboxes and children are often exposed to speeding traffic and hazardous conditions.
- The Pratt’s (Lots 109-03 & 109-04) on Kings Hwy have poured a cement slab for a future dwelling that is too close to the road. As we all know Kings Hwy is a one lane road in that area, and HLA reserves the right to widen the road at some future date. The owners have requested a variance from the Stoddard Zoning Board. Lexie Currie the HLA Correspondence Secretary will write a letter to the ZBA asking them to consider HLA future plans when responding to the request for a variance.
- Lexie Currie will draft and send letters to HLA owners asking them to clean out blocked culverts at the bottom of their driveways to prevent erosion of our roads. Donna Moxley will provide a list of owners that should be contacted.

Bylaws

Do the Bylaws allow for fining?
- Fining is done through Policies (aka Rules & Regulations) which are instituted and changed by vote of the Board of Directors.

4. Unfinished Business

Operating businesses in the development (Covenant Violation).

Deed Research
- The Board has undertaken the task of researching HLA deeds in order to appropriately assess HOA fees. This has been a huge project and will take time to complete. This effort will pay off in the future to streamline the invoice process and more fairly assess fees.
Covenant Violation Letters –
- The legal budget has been increased by $2,000.00 for 2021.
- The cost of issuing a Cease and Desist letter is $725.00/ea, but will be repaid by the property owner if HLA wins when the case goes to court. This is just one reason the legal budget was increased.

5. New Business

Cease and desist order vs other options for Trailer / Camping violators
- Reminder letters for owners of campers on undeveloped lots will be sent restating the need to remove their campers by November 1, 2019. Owners that comply with this request will save the association legal expenses associated with enforcing our covenants.
Review of new billing tools vs Quickbooks and ability to offer auto payment
- The Board will begin reviewing options that will improve on the current system.
An invoice will be issued to non-paying JLN owners who did not respond to our initial request for tiered payment for road maintenance.
Update of JLN fee amount based on new assessment
Board appreciation of Dian
- Dian recently stepped down from our Board, and she and William are headed to the big city of Keene. Dian has been a fixture on the Board for several years and will be greatly missed. Her dedication and passion for our community will leave a lasting impression! Thank you Dian.

Next Meeting:  Tuesday, October 15, 2019.

Board meeting adjourned: 9:18 PM