Leewood Homeowners Association
Board Meeting
Minutes

September 9, 2008

Board Members Present: Also Present:
Janet Rourke – President Al Sanford – Chair, G&M
Ramanuj (Bob) Chilakamarri – VP Al Carchedi - Homeowner
Melinda Ford – At Large Leona Taylor – Financial Secretary
Rose Weber - Secretary

Convening: Meeting was called to order at 7:30 pm. Meeting was held in the Phillips School Library.

Minutes: A motion was made to approve the minutes of the August 12, 2008, regular meeting. The motion was carried and the minutes were signed and accepted for the record.

Open Forum: There were no homeowners present with issues for an open forum discussion.

Architectural Review Hearings: There were four scheduled ARC hearings. None of the homeowners appeared and none sent anyone to speak on their behalf. In each case the Board voted to assess penalties effective 1 October 2008. These four hearings addressed a total of 13 violations.

Officer Reports:
President: The President received compliments from two homeowners regarding the work done to correct drainage issues and to get the street work accomplished. Special thanks go to Melinda and Al Carchedi for the drainage work and to Al Carchedi for the street work coordination. The President received five contract bids for our Grounds and Maintenance work. These will be discussed in greater detail below under Committee Reports. The need for a tree removal plan was also discussed. The Secretary was able to get an assessment on several trees of concern from Affordable Tree and Stump Removal, and provided a cost proposal. At least two more assessments/proposals will be required, and the President suggested we have our top three landscape contract bidders each also provide an assessment/proposal of the trees. She will coordinate these appointments. The dry pond on Bradwood Street is currently deeded to Gosnell, the builder of Leewood. Gosnell is terminating operations in this area and has offered to deed the property comprising the dry pond to Leewood. This would be a “no cost/no effort” transaction for Leewood as Gosnell will handle the filing of the deed and we would pay no real estate taxes or increased insurance costs. The Board determined they needed a bit more information prior to accepting Gosnell’s offer. Zoning questions will be discussed with the County and an electronic vote will be taken once the additional information has been reviewed. Lastly, the President notified the Board that she is stepping down as the ARC Chair effective 9 September, but will continue to maintain the database until the new chair is ready to assume those duties.

Vice President: Currently researching the requirements to establish a Neighborhood Watch program.

Treasurer: Report of current status of homeowner accounts was provided prior to the meeting. Accounts that are overdue/behind continue to be resolved, and collection of past assessments owed on foreclosed properties was discussed. Six accounts are with the lawyer for collection action.

Secretary: VDOT final report of study on traffic patterns at Backlick Road and Leestone Street has not yet been provided to the County, although the County has been notified that it is in the final stages of preparation and will provide a copy once received. Because no one at our local post office appeared adequately knowledgeable or particularly interested in helping us, the Secretary and At-large decided to go above our local postal Station Master to determine what we could do to move our request along and influence a favorable response with regard to USPS funding the purchase and installation of locking boxes. The Postmaster General is now aware of our efforts and the Secretary has been contacted by, and will be working with, a representative of USPS headquarters.

At-Large: The At-large member, Melinda Ford, has resigned from the Board and volunteered to Chair the ARC committee. She will continue to handle POA matters.

Committee Reports:
Architectural Review Committee (ARC): The following motions were made and approved regarding active ARC violations: Note: as the ARC Chair, The Board President, Janet Rourke does not vote on ARC hearing decisions or other ARC matters requiring approval of the Board.
Hearing(s): Notification of Hearing letters will be sent for nine alleged violations at four properties.
Extensions: There was one extension granted for two alleged violations at one property.
Hearings to be re-scheduled: There were no hearings to be rescheduled.
Second violation notices: Second notices were approved and will be sent for four alleged violations at three properties.
With Lawyer: One case is with the lawyer. An offer of settlement for the one case in negotiation has been agreed upon and is being settled by the lawyer.

Grounds and Maintenance: Trees were again discussed. The Secretary spoke with Mrs. Strickland regarding her concern over the large dead branch from one of our trees that is caught in some other branches and suspended over her fence and shed. The branch poses a significant threat if it were to fall onto her property. The Secretary did obtain a quote to remove the suspended branch and dispose of the large branch that fell previously from one of our trees into her yard. A motion was made to approve the branch removal. The motion was passed and the Board voted to go ahead with the removal work. The Secretary will coordinate this effort. The need for an overall tree removal plan was discussed and because of the large expense, the Board decided to attempt to do what work we can ourselves. The Board will attempt to put together a Leewood work crew to remove some of the smaller more accessible trees and to repair the perimeter fence along Bradgen Court where there is still damage from fallen trees and branches. Al Sanford reported there are three sections of fence, along with two fence posts that need attention, and also some single pickets that need to be replaced. The current G&M contract expires this year. In an effort to ensure we are getting the best value for our money, the Board previously decided to re-bid the contract. The President has received five bids, including one from the current contractor. After reviewing and comparing all five bids, the Board chose the “best” three and the President and Secretary will follow-up with site visits/interviews with those three companies and discuss the outcomes of those meetings at the October meeting so that the Board can vote on the contract award. The condition of Bradwood Street was also discussed and the Secretary will ask the County about the possibility of the County paving Bradwood Street.

Financial Report: The 2009 budget was discussed at length. Based on that discussion, a draft will be prepared and provided at the October meeting for final review. The need to raise insurance amounts was discussed and Al Carchedi will contact our agent to discuss the embezzlement protection and determine if we should/should not raise the amount of coverage. He will share his findings and advise at the October meeting.

New Business: There was no new business introduced.
Adjournment: The meeting adjourned at 9:22pm.

Certified for the record:

___________________ _____________
Rose Weber, Secretary Date
LHOA