Special Board Meeting Minutes

In Attendance: David Bangs, Susie Carney, Kendra Mills, Mark Southern, Susi Tom

Absent: Mike Quaranta, Doug McDaniel, Cynthia Murphy, Shelly Birkwood

Olympic Irrigation came in with a reduced scope bid that came in at $20,603.46. The scope was reduced by eliminating replacement of drainage lines that are already functional, and eliminating removal of photinias around the tennis courts.

Puget Landscaping (an Issaquah are contractor) provided a bid that does not involve substantial regrading, but does include piping and 6 new catch basins with French drains over the same area plus part of the north field. That bid is for $19011.

We took a walk in the park to look at the drainage system. Several neighbors, such as the Strombergs, came out with hoses to help determine which catch basins currently drain properly, and how they drain. The Strombergs' report that the flooding in the park near their home as been a real problem for them.

It seems as if the Puget Landscaping concept for the repair best describes what actually needs to be done to solve the problem. The gentleman from Puget did a lot of tests and really seemed to understand our existing drain system. This is in contrast with the salesmen from Olympic and Highridge who did not bother to test or understand our existing system, and offered up plans which incorrectly portrayed the current system and involved obviously unnecessary work.

After some discussion, the group reached a consensus that Puget Landscaping (a local Issaquah area business) is the best company to continue working with. But the fact that the amount of the bid is almost as much as other bids involving what appears to be a lot more actual work is confusing.

Susie Carney reported that South Cove HOA owns a 10 foot wide tract of land containing the path toward Sammamish Beach Club. Our path in that area is only 3 feet wide, and it can really only be widened to 4 feet there without significant landscaping changes. Widening it to 4 feet can be achieved with volunteer trimming of bushes. Homeowners have "encroached" on both sides of the paths including a fence corner on one side, and cement planter boxes on the other. However, they have paid to maintain this strip for years, and South Cove has performed no maintenance. Susie thinks the fence would be a lot less of a problem if the fencepost were simply moved to the inside of the fence. Mark Southern will look at it to help determine what needs to be done.

There is a general reluctance to pay to completely repave sections of the path which were already completely replaced 3 years, and have already been severely damaged by cottonwood roots. Previous discussion revealed that root barriers are both expensive and ineffectual.

A walk-through shows 4 cottonwood clusters. One by the beach, two by the tennis courts, one by the Tom residence, and one further west toward the playground. The three in the middle are the ones that severely damage the paths and picnic table area. Susi Tom reported continued frustration with root damage to her property (patios, etc) and limbs dropped on her property. The middle of the two is just a few feet from the main path and the spur to the tennis courts, with very significant root structures actually touching the path. The easternmost of the three has grown up underneath the picnic table slab (old sandbox) and is actually pushing the entire structure up in the air at an angle.

A recent bid shows these three trees can be removed for approximately $2500. Learning from our previous experience, about $2500 would be needed to clean up damage left by removing them - such as filling in where the roots were removed. The overall price of removing these trees should be regarded at approximately $5000. Susie Carney noted that the replacement of the paths damage by these trees cost $3200 plus tax just three years ago, and they need to be replaced again. So where is the cost savings in keeping them? [Note: We have since learned that, since one of the clusters contains two trees, the actual removal and stump cleanup cost will likely be between $2650 and $2750]

David Bangs noted that the trees are beautiful and add character to the park. Fortunately, the cluster near the beach which most defines the park is far from the path and not in need of removal. Mark Southern mentioned that maple trees in the park have grown up quite nicely without any of the drawbacks of cottonwoods.

Should homeowners have a chance to discuss a project such as this at the annual meeting? David Bangs pointed out cottonwood removal had been on the annual meeting agenda most years over the last decade or more, and it has been understood the board would be removing them in phases as justification arose. Cottonwood removal was a major justification of raising the dues to $175 years back, and was one of the subjects of a neighborhood survey last year. Since the act of removing them could damage paths, drainage and irrigation systems, it does make sense to remove them prior to repairing or upgrading those other systems.

Mark noted that we can afford to spend $5000 would not require use of any special assessment funds earmarked for other projects, but would reduce the size of the drainage project we could undertake this year. However, the special assessment actually provided just $5,800 to fix the existing drainage system or fund a reserve for a larger fix in later years.

Susi Tom moved, and Mark Southern seconded, that we accept the current bid of $2300 plus tax to remove the trees, understanding that the overall project with cleanup could end up costing $5000. The motion passed unanimously.

We will move forward removing the three cottonwoods near the tennis courts. Mark Southern and Kendra will work with landscapers to obtain a bid for an achievable drainage project based on our improved understanding of the problem and the workings of the existing system. We will convene again in one week (either Wednesday or Thursday night) at Susi Tom's house to decide what to do with drainage and paths this year. David will use email to determine the best night which will allow for best attendance.