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January 2001 Newsletter
Our first 2001 meeting was held on January 15th at 7:00p.m. at the Union Bible College Gymnasium. The main items covered were election of officers for 2001, review of the finanical information, and discussion of various items and concerns to Homeowners.
Election of Officers
Our former president, Jim Holley, elected to resign and not continue on the board, as his growing business demands more of his time. We thank Jim for his hours of efforts over the past two years as board president and wish him the best in his work.
As described in the Winter 2000 newsletter, the board felt it would be best to have 5 board members as originally planned. Only the three current positions were fully voted in at the meeting; the remaining two positions are tentatively appointed. The elections resulted in the following board for 2001:
| Name | Postion | Telephone |
|---|---|---|
| Steve Thomas | President | 867-2253 |
| Martin Sweeney | Treasurer | 867-5162 |
| Jean Rodgers | Secretary | 867-5507 |
| Sharon Gunason | Groundskeeping Director (tentative) | |
| Jane Small | Community Liason Director (tentative) |
For the Groundskeeping postion, Sharon wants to check on some committments, and also Jane Small volunteered for the postion after the meeting. At the next homeowner's meeting we will confirm these last two positions by vote of those present at that meeting. The next meeting is Monday, April 16th, 7:00-8:00p.m., at a location to be announced.
Discussion Items
The following discussions took place on various topics:
- The pond: People have been walking on the ice covered pond. This is not allowed per the signs posted and is very dangerous; Westfield Police will respond to calls related to offences in this area.
- Lights: It's cold and dark a lot these days, and lights do burn out more often. Please keep your lights working! Sometimes heavy spring rains will cause water to get directly on the bulbs, which will cause them to fail. You can get bulbs made to resist cracking from the waether; Wal-mart sells GE Lamp & Post bulbs which have a coating and seem to last longer.
- Garbage collection: Remarks were made that drivers seem to come everyday of the week, and also there have been some incidences with drivers not being careful. Any specific complaints should be directed to the service provider. Residents should put their trash out the night before or early in the morning of their pick-up day. Please do not leave trash out on the curb for days. A volunteer will check to see if we can get a group rate from the major pick-up service providers used since we have many homes. This is being done to help save money; there is no obligation to change from your current provider.
- Night Watch Program: The Wesfield Police has a laison for each neighborhood. As a major topic for the April 16th meeting, we will try to have someone come to our next meeting to present how to set up a program for Willow Creek.
- Entrance Ways: The lighting in the entrance ways has not worked properly for some time. A volunteer is investigating getting these fixed. Also, in the past we have paid to have the weeding, trimming, and flowers planted. The consensus at the meeting was this would save money and be a good community project to have volunteers take care of this. The Groundskeeping Director will coordinate this.
- Mowing: Some complaints about mowing clippings and debris were brought up. This year we will have written mowing and trimming agreements to be clear in our expectations.
- Poorly maintained yards: Some yards have had grass growing very tall last summer, and some homes have been unoccupied. Yards should be kept neat to maintain the general appearance of the neighborhood. We hope to introduce lawn and gardening tips in the newsletter; it turns out having a green, weed-free lawn is not that difficult or expensive!
- Garage Sale: The annual spring garage sale is scheduled for Friday and Saturday April 20-21. The Association will provide signs and place an advertisement in the local paper. [Note for section 4 residents (Grassy Branch Road entrance): If anyone wants to participate in the garage sale, please let Steve Thomas know by April 1st. Last year signs and advertisement were provided, but no one participated, which caused confusion for garage sale shoppers and some extra traffic in the neighborhood. The association doesn't mind providing the signs and advertising, but we just want to make sure it is wanted.]
- Finances: Martin Sweeney prepared a Profit/Loss statement for the past year. A copy is attached with this newsletter. The dues for 2001 will be $110.25, which is the same as last year. A number of Owners have not paid dues from previous years which is costing the Association several thousand dollars. Besides having increased dues (Section 6.16), liens will be placed against such Owners.
-
Storage sheds: Little progress was able to be made last year because
of some legal situations with some homeowners and the Association. These
issues are resolved and we will pick up move on with this. Since storage
shed (a.k.a. "mini-barns") are not currently allowed per the Association
covenants (section V, paragraph 5.4) it will require an ammendment to the
covenants.
The following must occur in order to change the Willow Creek HOA covenants. Two separate voting processes are required in order to adopt an amendment change.
The first vote: A majority (51%) vote is needed to proceed with the adoption process. This is to see if the issue is important enough to the community. Ballot is enclosed.
The second vote: If majority interest is shown from the first vote, then information will be mailed to all Homeowners on the specific issue and details of the amendment change 30 days prior to a formal meeting. To pass the adopted amendment, a 2/3 majority vote must be achieved by those Homeowners attending the meeting and voting in person or by submitting a written proxy.
Check the HOA website in early March for the results of the first vote.
Key Dates:
- Feb. 28th: return of Yes/No vote to proceed with storage shed proposal. If the result of this vote is "No", then no further action will occur. Otherwise... .
- March 15th: notification of meeting and proposal specifics, including proxy vote form
- April 16th: meeting to discuss and take vote. If the discussion causes changes in the proposal, then the vote will have to be re-taken after the changes are re-published.
Your Association Governing Board