Seminole Lakes Property Owners Association
Board of Directors Meeting
September 12, 2011
Minutes
Call to Order: Bob Toth called the meeting to order at 10:02 AM at the Burnt Store Presbyterian Church.
Establish a Quorum: A quorum was established with the following present: Bob Toth, Al DiSessa, and Bill Murphy. Fred Eyrich was absent.
Also present, was Sherry Danko, from Star Hospitality Management.
Proof of Notice: The meeting notice was distributed and posted as per the Association Bylaws and Florida Statute 720.
Disposal of Minutes: With no additions or corrections, the July 11, 2011 minutes were approved.
President’s Report: No report. Bob Toth thanked those in attendance for coming.
Treasurer’s Report: Al DiSessa reported that August ended with a surplus of $8,602 bringing the year-to-date surplus to $51,680. The combined available balance for operating and reserve funds is $870,374.92. Touching on the economic picture of our Country, Al DiSessa spoke to the low interest earned by the POA. This has impacted the monthly maintenance fee by $4.00 per month. The Board has offset this by pulling back on spending. On September 27th, there will be a workshop to formulate the 2012 budget. No increase in fees is projected.
Committee Reports:
Maintenance, Lakes, & Roads: Bill Murphy reported the Committee continues to survey street lights and lamp posts. 12 remain non-operational; most due to no power.
Access Control: Bill Murphy summarized the recent activity: installation of film on the windows to reduce glare and temperatures inside, researching pest control inside the guardhouse due to an increase of bugs, and planning for the professional cleaning of the carpet at the guardhouse.
Newsletter: Bill Murphy announced that Ken Ledford has agreed to replace Linda Huber who resigned, as the editor of the Grapevine. Ken Ledford is already hard at work on the upcoming edition. He will speak later in the meeting.
Secretary: Al DiSessa advised he received a thank you note from Florida Community Bank as he rolled over an expiring CD into a Money Market account and received a higher rate of interest.
Management Report: Sherry Danko reported on the current accounts receivable: 9 owners owe for more than one month and 38 owners owe for September. There were 8 AVOs and 5 work orders submitted to Greenscapes. Over 100 violation letters were mailed in August. Most were for weeds, dirty light posts, and dirty roofs.
Unfinished Business:
Burnt Store Road: Bob Toth reported as follows:
The project is scheduled to be completed in March 2012. The reopening of Burnt Store Road from Acline Road to Highway 41 is scheduled by the end of the year but may open a few weeks prior to due date. This depends on how many rain days there are, and the bridge construction is taking longer than planned.
The Seminole Gulf Railroad will be installing new signals and rail lines at Burnt Store Road and Highway 41. The road will be closed from mid-September for approximately four weeks. This is the road (Jones Loop Road) that leads from Highway 41 to Wal-Mart.
At our July Board Meeting, a resident expressed a concern about the wall that runs along Burnt Store Road and could be undermined due to construction. The contract specifications include a slope from the wall to the sidewalk that will be built, and that slope will be landscaped and sod applied. The wall is free standing and does not rely on dirt at the bottom to support it. The wall is supported by posts. However, there are some spaces below the wall that should be filled in. I will ask the County to do this. We have numerous cracks in the wall that will have to be repaired next year. Our Lakes and Roads Committee will be reviewing this. Due to the difficulty to get a permanent repair, it is expected that a contractor will have to be used.
New Business:
Architectural Review: Bill Murphy presented the following:
26424 Feathersound replace driveway overlay
26288 Stillwater paint house
By general consensus, the requests were considered approved.
Amending the Declaration of Covenants, Conditions, & Restrictions: Bob Toth reported the Declaration was written 20 years ago and was amended a few times when the Developer controlled the association, but these amendments were minor and a resident vote was not required. To adopt an amendment, two-thirds affirmative vote of all parcels or 325.5 out of 488.5 parcels must vote affirmatively. This makes it basically impossible to amend our Declaration as numerous residents never vote. Three years ago our Covenants Committee spent considerable time reviewing the Documents and recommended changes. Many of those recommended changes were due to updates per the Florida Statutes and eliminating Developer language. The recommended changes never went to a membership vote because the Board believed there would be no chance of passing them with the high percentage of affirmative votes required. Our covenants are very outdated. For example, they refer to classes of voters and this is no longer valid. They also have other clauses that are not valid due to changes to the Florida Statutes. Our covenants are very confusing when new residents review them. The Association attorney is recommending an amendment to change the required number of votes for future amendments. Sherry Danko agreed our requirement is high as compared to many other HOAs. Bob Toth is asking the Board to agree to research how passing an amendment lowering the percentage of affirmative votes could be achieved , and what would be a reasonable percentage. A report would be given at the October board meeting when input from the residents would be requested. All directors made comments in agreement with this plan.
CERT/Guardhouse Golf Cart: Bill Murphy discussed the unreliable condition of the golf cart purchased used in 2006. Two mechanics have indicated a major overhaul is needed at a cost of $2,000 or more. Bill Murphy does not feel that to be a good investment. It also has a poor appearance at the entrance. He has spoken with several sales people regarding new and refurbished units. Bill Murphy also discussed the pros and cons of gas powered versus electric. A generator at the guardhouse is available to re-charge the battery in the event of a hurricane. The current golf cart would have a trade-in value of $200-$400. A golf cart with a dump body is preferred. Bill Murphy moved, and Al DiSessa seconded to allow up to $6,600 to purchase a refurbished electrical golf cart with a dump body. An owner present strongly recommended a gas powered unit due to his concern about charging during storms. Al DiSessa favored a gas-powered cart. The motion carried 2 to 1 (Al DiSessa voted no.)
Guard Visibility: Bill Murphy gave an overview of the potential benefits of providing for the “guards” to periodically patrol through the community. It is expected that their presence, in uniform, will have a positive impact on deterring possible mischief-makers. The added visibility to residents would be reassuring. The cost would be minimal: less than $750 per year for one hour per week. Bill Murphy moved, and Bob Toth seconded to add one hour of guard time per week for purposes of added patrol in the community, with hours to be scheduled randomly. This would be implemented after the golf cart situation is resolved. Bob Toth noted he felt it could positively impact the speeding problem. Al DiSessa indicated the proposed 2012 budget could sustain the expense. One owner added that one hour per day would be beneficial. Al DiSessa agreed. Bill Murphy responded that if the added patrol has a positive result, an increase in patrol coverage could be explored. The motion carried.
Grapevine: Bill Murphy invited Ken Ledford to speak. Ken Ledford announced he was proceeding quickly in preparation of a September/October edition. Subsequent issues would be bi-monthly. He is looking for a volunteer to type the newsletter into an appropriate format. Ken Ledford plans to include the usual meeting notices and minutes as well as focusing on owner pieces with plenty of photographs.
Preliminary Budget Discussion: Al DiSessa advised he has already presented the Board with a copy of the proposed budget. They will discuss and firm up at the September 27, 2011 workshop.
Bank Account & CD Update: Al DiSessa reported that he and Sherry Danko visited BB&T to hear about other FDIC financial products they have. The Board will discuss at the workshop.
Next Meeting: The next Board meeting will be on October 10, 2011 at 10:00 AM at the Burnt Store Presbyterian Church.
Comments for Future Discussion:
An owner gave a presentation on the POA-funded use of brightly colored belts to be worn by pedestrians. These would be funded by the POA and made available to our residents free of charge. The premise behind this program is to make the walker/jogger/biker more visible to vehicles. 100 belts would cost approximately $489. A couple of owners present added their support, particularly as a life safety issue. Another resident thought is was a good idea, but the POA should not pay for them. Bill Murphy agreed to bring the matter to the Access Control Committee to evaluate.
Adjournment: With no further business to come before the Board, the meeting adjourned at 11:10 AM.
Submitted by,
Sherry Danko
Sherry Danko
For Al DiSessa, Secretary/Treasurer