Renaissance Ridge Homeowners Association

Board of Directors Meeting

August 23, 2003

 

MINUTES

 

Meeting at Rock Hill Court, called to order at 9:09 am

 

Adoption of May 5, 2003 Meeting Minutes: Passed

 

Report of Officers

  • Don Corbett – President: Discussed the Board’s accomplishments in the last year and goals for the upcoming year.  Major accomplishments of the last year included collecting outstanding receivables from unpaid homeowner dues, switching to a new landscaping company, and receiving legal advice as to how the CC&Rs can be clarified and changes so the Board can enforce them.
  • Bill Provost – Vice-President: As the new President, Bill’s goals for the Board include switching to a new accounting company (see below) and amending the CC&Rs so the Board can do a better job of enforcing rules regarding home landscape maintenance and painting.
  • John Digenan – Treasurer: Explained the dues and special assessment mix-up that occurred last month and apologized on Century’s behalf.  The special assessment was explained, and it was projected that dues will continue to increase each year and the special assessment will decrease until the cross-point is reached.
  • Brett Waldbaum – Secretary: Web site has been the main communication tool over the last year, and the Board has saved money by avoiding newsletter mailings.  Nearly one third of the homeowners have logged-in to the homeowner section of the web site.  Brett has volunteered to stay on as Webmaster for the 2003-2004 year.
  • Scott Manson – Director At-Large: Over the past year Scott has investigated speed bumps, stop signs, the 244th corridor study, and has delivered other City planning news to the Board.

 

Elections – Jim Jackola has volunteered to be the new Vice-President, and the Board is seeking a volunteer for the open Secretary position.

 

Old Business

  • Capital Project Investigation – Don/Bill.  The Board plans to hire someone to study long-term capital improvement projects (such as mailbox kiosk replacement, front entrance fixes, etc.), as well as investigate the cost of adding sprinklers and maintaining grass on the west side of the 242nd Way trail.

 

New Business

  • HOA Accounting Contract – John
    • The Board has chosen to switch accounting firms, from Century Small Business Solutions to MacPherson’s Property Management.  Century cost around $500 per month, and for $600 per month MacPherson’s will perform the same job plus the additional work of collections.  The transition is expected to be completed within the next month.
  • 2003 Budget Update – John
    • Accounts receivable have decreased as more homeowners have been paying their dues and special assessment.  Overall the HOA is slightly under budget due, in large part, to lower than expected water utility bills.
  • CC&R Amendment Plans – Bill
    • The Board has received an official opinion letter from an attorney stating the process for amending the CC&Rs.  The process is as follows:
      • The Board creates an amendment that can supercede or add the original CC&Rs.
      • The drafted amendment is sent in the mail to homeowners for review, and there is a 30-day comment period for homeowners to respond to the board.  (This step is not required but it’s good practice.)
      • The Board can modify the amendment based on homeowner feedback.
      • A vote among Board members is taken, and if the majority of the five Board members favor the new amendment, then the Board records the amendment with the King County Recorder’s Office.
      • The final version of the amendment is mailed to all homeowners and published to the neighborhood web site.
    • The new 2003-2004 Board plans to use this procedure to create amendments with regard to the issues of home landscape maintenance, house painting, and other issues that are to be identified.
  • Arborist & Landscaping Information – Don
    • The HOA switched to a new landscaping company, Greenbelt Services, in the spring, and has been very satisfied with their work.  Jim Richardson, the RR homeowner and owner of Greenbelt, has done an outstanding job.  The plants in the entrances look great, and he removed alder trees from the protected areas.
  • Renaissance Ridge Days, August 29th-31st – Sherrie Newman
    • Garage sale, golf tournament, barbeques, and much more!  See here for more details.
  • 2003-2004 Committees – Brett
    • The new year will start off with the ACC, Social Committee, and Finance Committee.  Volunteers are needed to chair other committees; if you are interested please contact the Board.
    • Sign-up sheets for the 2003-2004 committees will be at the Renaissance Ridge Days barbeque on Sunday, August 31st.
    • The issue of safety was brought up by Bill, whose car was burglarized after leaving his garage door open overnight.  Homeowners are encouraged to communicate with their neighbors about garage doors left open, watch for mail theft, and utilize the police phone number, 9-1-1, so the Sammamish police will patrol our neighborhood more often.

 

Committee Reports

  • Architecture Control Committee (ACC) – Scott Steciw: Did not attend.
  • City Liaison – Elisa Watkins: Did not attend.
  • Social Committee – Sherrie Newman & Barb Walzer
    • Looking for a new Social Committee chairperson

 

Meeting Adjourned at 10:35 am

 

Open Forum

  • Discussed having a Welcoming Committee for new homeowners so they can learn about the HOA and receive contact information
  • Scott gave an update on the City of Sammamish’s 244th corridor study

 

Next meeting: December 2003, date TBD

 

Attendance: 18