Board Members Present: Susie Carney, David Bangs, Kendra Mills, Mark Southern, Shelly Birkwood, Mike Quaranta, Susi Tom
Board Members Absent: Doug McDaniel.
Cynthia Murphy
Non-Board members present: Julie McDaniel, Don Meyer and Larry Davis visited for part of the meeting.
Meeting called to order by
Susie Carney
Minutes: David read the minutes for August 2002, and they were approved as read and corrected. Minutes from special board meeting were approved based on email review.
Treasurer’s Report: Mark reports we have $44,208 in the bank. 12 outstanding dues or assessment payments – down from 15 last month. Breakdown is 7 special assessment, 3 2002 dues and 2 2001 dues – for a total of $2450 overdue.
We received an unexpected water bill for $1100 bill - and the park grass is mostly dry. We apparently have a broken water line. Mark Southern will turn off the irrigation system immediately, and we will have the system inspected and fixed in the spring. Kendra will have our landscaping company drain the system for the winter.
Drainage Project: Kendra reported that the drainage project price will come down $381 because we decided to omit a 10' leg of piping. However, some have suggested we should be using 6" pipe instead of 4" pipe for one leg of piping in order to ensure it can be used for daisy-chaining later. Kendra will discuss this with Ed from Puget Landscaping, and order the larger pipe if the cost isn't much more than the $381 we are saving.
Cottonwood Removal:
Two cottonwood trees near the Toms were removed this week. However, based on neighborhood feedback, the board decided to leave the two cottonwoods next to the tennis courts, and just trim off dangerous branches and branches near the ground for the time being. We will do more research into alternatives for dealing with these trees and will obtain more neighborhood feedback before considering further action.
Tree Planting Committee: Susi Tom is heading up the "Tree Planting Committee" and Kendra is responsible for obtaining planting bids to plant trees where the cottonwoods were removed, and other locations in the park. Some key decisions will be made at the October board meeting.
Future of Cottonwoods:
Susie Carney announced that she would be putting together a small group of people with opposite opinions (including herself and Don Meyer) regarding removing the cottonwoods to see if they can come up with a realistic plan to remove the risks associated with the two remaining cottonwoods without actually removing the trees.
Susie has identified an arborist who has a reputation for trying to save trees that would otherwise be removed, by developing plans to mitigate danger and damage from the trees. He is Assistant Park Forrester for the City of Bellevue, but also has a consulting business to work with other groups, and his fee is $50 an hour.
We already have an arborist's report that recommends removing the trees. But since that report was created by a company that makes money by removing trees, a second opinion is desired by some.
David moved, and Kendra seconded that we allow that group to spend up to $150 on consulting a mutually acceptable arborist to provide an opinion regarding the trees, their risks to people and structures, and what workarounds are available. The motion passed with 6 votes for and 1 against.
We considered putting the issue of tree removal up for a vote for the annual meeting. Mark Southern suggests that is too soon, since next year people will be in a better position to know the impact of having removed the two trees we did remove, and be able to judge whether the board did a good job replanting. We will further discuss this at the October board meeting.
Path Paving Project: Though our contractor is willing to lay the paths as late as the middle of October, Susie has received advice that paths laid that late in the fall are at high risk for later problems. Asphalt is best laid in dry weather. For that reason, the path repaving project has been postponed until next summer.
The family near the Sammamish Beach Club path is willing to allow their fence to be moved in slightly to make the path more passable. Susie has obtained a bid from Kevin Reagan construction to have that work done for $145 plus tax.
At the end of 194th S.E., there is mailbox cluster jammed right against a juniper plant. Since the juniper was trimmed to allow the mailbox stand to be painted, a dead spot has been showing through and has never grown back. Neighbors are requesting we add a back to that mailbox cluster so the dead juniper doesn't show through. Kevin Reagan bid $135 plus tax to add boards across the back and stain them. Susie would provide the matching paint.
Mark Southern moved, and Susi Tom seconded that we approve these two projects. Passed unanimously.
Other work by the path near SMC: To widen the path to 4 feet, a cement planter would have to be cut off (we have a $150 bid) and 4 arbor vitae shrubs would have to be transplanted to a different location along the path. We will consider these projects later.
Curbing: Susie reported that Abel curbing signed and returned the special warrantee described in earlier minutes.
Tennis Court locks: Susie reported that "The Fence Connection" did accidentally throw away our working lock. Doug will be purchasing a new lock and having it keyed.
Playground Project: Shelly has been working on painting the springy toys! They are partly painted, with a bit left to do.
Beach: Mike was finally able to get a bid for replacing the ropes and floats. The bid is $1400 plus tax, and the budget is approximately $1000. Mike believes that the Greenwood Point volunteer effort used lesser materials and did not obtain professional results, so is recommending hiring this contractor. This will be considered later.
Susie Carney reported that the beach patrol idea was successful. Members of the committee felt empowered by the existence of a list of residents and visitors who claimed they were residents felt chastised when it was shown they were not. Susie recommended we do this again next year.
Road Repair: Shelly met with a King County engineer Todd Reeve and Sammamish Beach Club president Gary Thede to go over road repair. King County doesn't have funding to do all repairs needed in the area, and will have to set priorities. They will consider which areas should be paid for by utilities, etc.
Insurance: Shelly reported that our D&O insurance is going up this year. The total price is increasing from $1200 to $1375 - a 15% increase. Insurance rates have been going up nationally this year.
Residents near South Cove had recently approached us requesting the right to purchase a membership in the park for a fee substantially higher than the annual dues paid by South Cove residents. Shelly reported that this idea is not worth considering, because a Safeco adjuster indicated that our policy would be "non-renewed" if we implemented any park membership program for non-residents.
Garage Sale: Susi Tom has volunteered to take over as our garage sale coordinator. She is working with Meerwood Greenwood Point. Mary Victory of Meerwood will place the "Multi-Neighborhood Garage Sale" ads.
Architectural Control Committee:
There have been questions about why the board minutes do not include proceedings of the Architectural Control Committee. David responded that the ACC is a separate body from the Board, and ACC business is not discussed at board meetings. If the ACC provides minutes, they can be appended to the Board minutes, or posted separately to the web site.
Kendra reported that Fred Riler wrote a memo proposing that the association adopt penalties for poor landscaping maintenance. Kendra will email this proposal to the Board, and the rules committee will consider whether and how such a proposal could be implemented.
Government Affairs Committee:
David reported that over 300 survey cards have been received from throughout the annexation area, and 82% of respondents are favoring Issaquah annexation. The public meeting is on track for October 8th.
Susie Carney commented that the selection of the name "South Cove Area Annexation Committee" could be unfortunate if it furthers the impression that this whole area, not just the neighborhood, is called South Cove. This could result in confusion regarding who is allowed to use our beach and park.
Rules Committee:
David reported that the rules committee, now consisting of David, Mark and Thomas Marquis, is examining the covenants, and found two seemingly contradictory clauses regarding how they may be amended. Depending on what section you believe, either 1/2 of homeowners have to sign any amendment, or 2/3. However, both clauses specify changes can only be made at 10 year windows beginning 30 years after the covenants are recorded. This leaves us wondering how the covenants were amended to prohibit trailers parked in front of houses, and also why the association tried to pass covenant amendments in 1995. David will check with Joan Probala, and we may have to consult our attorney Jim Clark.
The committee is currently researching the idea that neighborhood disputes regarding covenants could be resolved using mediation and binding arbitration. This could save money and time for all involved, and reduce hurt feelings. The committee will continue considering this and other issues at their September 30th meeting.
Covenant Violations:
Mark reported that he had heard Doug McDaniel's attempts to contact homeowners about boats and trailers parked in front of houses were not universally graciously received. However, the vast majority of those boats and trailers have been removed.
Nomination Committee:
David moved, and Mark seconded, that the entire board be designated as the Nomination Committee, and sent forth to find candidates to run for the Board in November. Passed unanimously.
Newsletter:
Deadline for newsletter submissions is October 25th.
Susie Carney will coordinate the mailing party on Oct 30th.
Some newsletter topics: Annual Meeting agenda, Board candidate bios and ballot, Annexation news, Rules committee report, Special Assessment reports. Cottonwoods.
Upcoming Meetings
Annexation Committee Public Meeting
October 8th, 7pm, at Pickering Barn
October Board Meeting:
Wednesday, October 16, 7pm
Home of Mike Quaranta
19213 S.E. 43rd Place
Annual Homeowners Meeting:
Wednesday November 13, 7pm
Sunset Elementary School
Multi-Purpose Room