Hidden Hammocks Estates Homeowners Association

Coral Springs, Florida

 

BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING

 

September 29, 2003

Benchmark Property Management Co.

7932 Wiles Road, Coral Springs, Florida

 

 

Present:                                   Tom Base  – President

                                                Jay Nelson – VP/Treasurer

                                                Tom Toth – Secretary

                                                Melissa L. Henann – Benchmark Property Mgmt.

           

 

At 6:00, representatives from Fortress security company, Joel Leffler and Curt xxxx, participated in the review of the Official Post Orders dated 9/29/03. The post orders were discussed, accepted, and adopted. Fortress will start October 1st.

 

The BoD meeting was called to order at 6:30 p.m. by Tom Base.

 

No homeowners were present for Good and Welfare discussions

 

Tom Base read Dan Rothenberger’s resignation letter of August 18th. Tom Base proposed the following  resolution to accept Dan’s resignation. The resolution was seconded by Jay Nelson

1. Whereas Daniel Rothenberger has resigned his position as President and Board Member of the Association effective August 18, 2003;

It is hereby resolved to accept his resignation.

 

Tom Base was appointed President by Jay Nelson with the following resolution:

2. Whereas the position of President of the Association is vacant;

It is hereby resolved that Tom Base be appointed to fill that position.

 

Jay Nelson was appointed VP/Treasurer by Tom Base with the following resolution

3. Whereas the position of Vice President and Treasurer of the Association is vacant;

It is hereby resolved that Jay Nelson be appointed to fill these positions.

 

Tom Toth was appointed Secretary by Tom Base with the following resolution and seconded by Jay Nelson

4. Whereas the position of Board Secretary of the Association is vacant;

It is hereby resolved that Tom Toth be appointed to fill that position.

 

The minutes from the Board of Directors meeting held July 28, 2003 were reviewed and approved.

 

The security Official Post Orders dated 9/29/03 were proposed with the following resolution

5. Whereas the Association has entered into an Contract  with Fortress Protective Services for front gate and nightly roving security and the Association has revised and updated the standing post orders;

It is hereby resolved that the Post Orders dated September 29, 2003 be adopted and implemented as written.

The resolution was seconded and accepted by a vote of 3 of 3

 

Tom Base gave the President’s report which included thanking Dan Rothenberger for his dedication as previous president and welcoming Tom Toth to the board. Tom B listed his priorities: 1.Safety and security, 2. Upgrade the landscape appearance of the community; 3. 2004 budget

 

The Treasurers report was given for the period ending August 31st

            Cash on hand – operating           $69,042.81

            Reserves                                   $11,548.86

            Late fees owned             $295

            Past due assessments               $4,638.20 (16 homeowners)

            Performance to budget               $12,078.73 favorable year to date

                                                            $4,786.47 unfavorable August 2003

 

Finance projects include: Determination of any special assessments required to fund projects currently under board consideration; Preparation of the 2004 budget; Monitor sprinkler water conversion project payback; Transponder project update: 353 sold to date; 59% of goal.

 

The Legal report was read and discussed.

 

The Crime report showed no new occurrences in the past three months

 

 

Management report

 

Melissa Henann’s report included:          

  • The Delinquency report where delinquent fees will be pursued by certified letter and then turned over to the attorney for collection;
  • The Violations report listed 64 first notices, 8 second notices, 1 final notice, and 5 extensions.
  • The sequence for resolving Violations was discussed and proposed to be the following:
    • First notice
    • Second and final notice at 30 days
    • The Fine committed sets the fine against the property at 15 days
    • The offender must pay the fine or appear before the Grievance committee within 14 days. The fine can be $50 per occurrence. An occurrence can be one day.
    • Robert Kay, our attorney, will be asked to compose a letter

 

The following Sealed Bid Policy resolution was proposed, seconded, and accepted with a vote 3 of 3

6. Whereas the Association is desirous of establishing a fair, equitable and ethical policy for the solicitation of bids to perform services to the Association in excess of $500.00

It is hereby resolved that it is the policy of this Association that the bid process will entail the creation by the Board, either on its own or through the assistance of management or engineering, of basic specifications for the project being considered.  Those specifications and other relevant parameters are then sent to interested contractors to prepare their bids for submission to the Association.  Bids which are submitted to the Association would remain sealed until such time as all bids are to be opened.  Once all bids are received, or upon a specific deadline date set forth in the request for bid, the Board can then open, review the bids and select the contractor it wishes to engage.  If any individual Board member(s) is affiliated with the chosen contractor and is receiving financial benefit from the contract, that fact must be disclosed and that individual Board member abstain from voting.  The low bid is not always the best bid as the price is only one factor of the decision; others being for example, completion time, quality, methods, financial resources etc. and the Board will select the properly licensed and insured contractor based upon bid price and all other relevant  factors in the best interest of the Association.

 

  • Since Palm Coast landscaping company has not been responsive, a new landscaping company will be pursued.

 

  • The transponder project status was reported as: 353 transponders delivered to date producing $12,355.00 receipts vs. the overall expense of $19,539.32

 

  • The Well job for the sprinklers is completed.

 

  • An irrigation bill of $1,338.36 resulted from a water line break.

 

  • Improving the security video system had one estimate of $986.86

 

 

Old Business:

 

Mailbox appearance will be standardized in a written specification from Tom T and Melissa.

 

The Mailbox numbering project was tabled until budget priorities are resolved.

 

Speed bumps at Turtle Run will be reviewed by Jay. Tom T will try to get the spec on the speed bumps at St Andrews in Boca.

 

Pressure cleaning of the pavers and street gutters will be re-bid to the new bid policy

 

Community signs are being repaired. The new STOP signs are on order. Street signs will be refinished to their original appearance.

 

The disclaimer from the attorney for our website was reviewed. A more moderate approach will be pursued.

 

New Business:

 

A policy for dealing with speeding and erratic driving was proposed, seconded, and accepted on a vote of 3 of 3 for the following resolution:

9. Whereas the Board has received numerous complaints about speeding and erratic driving on streets within the Association and local police have no jurisdiction on these streets

It is hereby resolved that the Board, as duly authorized in the Declarations and Articles of Incorporation, will review specific complaints about speeding vehicles and motorcycles, and decide whether to send the complaint to the grievance committee (which is independent and separate from the Board) and who has the authority to investigate, determine if a violation has been committed and assess a fine to homeowners. Any such fine will be duly collected by the Association in a manner similar to any other violation        

 

The following resolution to standardize the trimming of trees was proposed, seconded, and accepted on a vote of 3 of 3.

8. Whereas the Association has determined that all homeowners’ street trees shall be maintained according to City Code and to a trimming and shape standard to maximize safety  and visual appeal;

It is hereby resolved that the Association adopt and enforce compliance by all homeowners to a written and visual standard as recommended by the City Arborist and established by the Board of Directors.

 

For the 2004 budget, updated quotes and estimates are being pursued on all reoccurring expenses. The current projection for 2004 is $230,413 compared to $200,415 for 2003. The major increases are in security, landscaping maintenance and replacements, and utilities. The resulting assessment is $333 per home per quarter.

 

Since the only available copies of our bylaws are incomplete, the attorney will be requested to redo these bylaws.

 

The overview of the next Newsletter was discussed. It will include the Newsletter, a Block Party flyer, and a tree trimming standard. Bill Sugarman will review the Newsletter content.

 

The following resolution to fund the 2nd annual Block Party in November was proposed, seconded, and accepted on a vote of 3 of 3.

10. Whereas the Board supports homeowners’ efforts to hold a block party in November as a means of promoting social well being in the neighborhood,

It is hereby resolved to authorize the expenditure of up to $500 for expenses related directly for the party as recommended by the Block Party Organizing Committee

 

To improve the appearance of the front landscaping, a new landscaper will be pursued.

 

Improving the visual impact of the FPL lines was tabled until the budget priorities are resolved

 

Maintenance and improvement of the frontage along Wiles was discussed in depth. The issues are: the nine homeowners along Wiles own the grass, hedge, and lamp posts which are currently maintained by the HOA; how should these maintenance costs be allocated; how will the liabilities of this area be handled; how does the HOA maintain the best appearance for the common good of property values. This topic will be discussed further after looking at how other HOA handle similar situations.

 

The next meeting will be October 30th.

 

The meeting adjourned around 9:30.