November 2024 Minutes

BHOA meeting minutes 11.12.2024_FINAL.pdf

Download PDF • 120KB

Briarwood HOA meeting

November 11, 2024

1. CALL TO ORDER

• The meeting was held in person at High Caliber Karting as well as online via Microsoft Teams.

2. ROLL CALL

• Board Members

o Present: Kayla Daniels, Pat Daniels, Jim Rypkema, Chrislyn Particka, George Platsis, Jean Zwier were online. Lynne Page was in person at High Caliber.

Absent: Mike Karagoulis, Kristen Leary

Quorum met.

• Guests: Sascha Eisner, Laura Friedhoff, Chanin Heise, Brenda Howser, Sheryl Page, Bruce Timmons were online. Tasha Warren was in person at High Caliber.

2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES FROM THE 1/8/2024 MEETING

• Jean suggested the following changes: Add to Mindaugas Žukauskas’ comments that he had mentioned the problem with the barking dogs during the discussion about a fence request, add delete the sentence “be due three weeks later,” during the discussion of when to mail the ballots.

o Pat made a motion to approve the minutes with the suggested changes.

 Jean seconded.

 The vote was a unanimous yes (Kayla, Pat, Jim, Lynne, Chrislyn, George, and Jean) and the motion carried.

3. ANNOUNCEMENTS

• Pat stated that during committee reports, Chrislyn will provide an update about the survey.

• Lynne stated that she noticed there was a December meeting on the calendar, but that she understood there was not going to be a meeting.

o Pat said that there were not meetings in December the previous two years and that he and Jim had discussed not having one.

o Guest Brenda Howser expressed concerns about not having a December meeting. Some discussion followed and Pat gave a reminder that the bylaws only require quarterly meetings.

• Pat opened a discussion about board member Kristen Leary, as she has not been able to attend many meetings due to family obligations. Jim stated that he has talked with her, but there was no commitment one way or the other.

4. REPORTS

President’s Report

• No report.

Vice President’s Report

• Jim opened a discussion about the pond pump.

o He stated that it was more of a maintenance issue, he got involved earlier this year as he offered to contact Ingham County drain commissioner Pat Lindemann.

o Some work has been done, but the new pump has still not been installed. Pat L. had mentioned building a custom pump. The last time Jim and Pat L. spoke, Pat L. had promised the new pump would be installed before winter. Jim asked Pat L. for an update last night but had not heard back.

o Chrislyn offered to also reach out to Pat L. to help get an answer and move the work forward. Jim will send Chrislyn his contact information.

Treasurer’s Report

• Lynne reviewed the P&L statement for October.

o She collected some dues from the past-due dues notices; there were some costs for printing and mailing them.

o There were some mowing, fertilizer/weed control, utility, shed repair, and regular business expenses.

• Lynne noted that she also included a summary of the past-due dues collections. Fourteen were disputed.

[Audio quality got so poor that Chrislyn was not able to take notes.]

• Lynne reported that there was no new information related to updating the insurance in terms of what properties are included on the policy.

• Lynne reported that she does not recommend a change in banking and that she recommends we stop using Quickbooks as it overcomplicates the finances.

o George made a motion that we stop using Quickbooks at the end of December.

 Pat seconded.

 Kayla asked if all of the information in Quickbooks would be ready to be moved out by then. Pat said that he would move any needed information from Quickbooks into Google Drive before the end of the year.

 George called the question.

• The vote was a unanimous yes (Kayla, Pat, Jim, Lynne, Chrislyn, George, and Jean) and the motion carried.

• Pat stated that he had sent Lynne an email earlier today that included all of the check posting dates that she needed. Lynne said that she would look for it.

• Lynne raised the issue of indemnification insurance for the board, and asked if the boar would agree to contact legal counsel in case anyone is injured on Briarwood property.

o Pat stated that he’s not opposed.

o Kayla asked if we have had that type of coverage in the past, and if we have the funds to consult an attorney.

o Jim stated that he thought we had that type of coverage in the past.

o Lynne said that we have $500 budgeted for professional fees.

o There was more discussion, with the consensus that after Lynne had cost estimates, the board would revisit the issue.

o Jean asked if there was coverage for if a homeowner was upset about a board decision. Lynne said we used to have that type of coverage and that she has checked, and no insurers offer it.

Secretary’s Report

• No report.

ACCE Committee

• Kayla stated that the homeowners at 3832 Crooked Creek had submitted a new fence request. However, they withdrew their request and will not be moving forward with installing a fence.

• Lynne stated that were was also a request prior to the last meeting from someone who wanted to install solar panels and that it seemed to have exceeded the 30 day time limit for the board to respond.

o Jim asked how it happened.

o Kayla replied that there was nothing in any emails to indicate that anyone was opposed to it.

o Lynne said that the committee will need to work on creating a policy regarding solar panels next year. Kayla asked if it was only if we were restricting them, and Lynne stated that it the state requires we do it as we have a website.

Audit Chair

• Lynne reported that she will ask for three volunteers to be on the committee after the end of the year.

o Jim stated that he would volunteer.

o Jean said she would send Lynne names of people that she thinks might help.

o Pat stated that he would like people who are not on the board.

Communications Committee

• Chrislyn noted that she had circulated a spreadsheet that she developed to tally the results. Lynne stated that she thought it looked good and asked if there was a place to record comments. Chrislyn will add one.

• So far, approximately 145 surveys have been returned.

• Chrislyn asked how the board should handle tallying them? Can it be done by people individually, or does it need to be done by a group. Pat stated that since it was a survey to gauge interest that it doesn’t need to be handled like a ballot. There were no objections.

• Guest Laura Friedhoff asked why the survey was sent. Chrislyn replied that it was simply to see what homeowners might like to see in terms of neighborhood improvements.

• Guest Tasha Warren commented that paper surveys seem cumbersome to send and that it would be more straightforward to use a Google form. She would also like to voice concerns about structures being built and that it seems strange to allocate resources to this when there are other issues, like the pond.

o Jean stated that there used to be a play structure in the recreation park, but that it had fallen into disrepair, was unsafe, and was torn down. The original plan was to replace it. In prior years, two board members spent a lot of time developing proposals and getting quotes, but that was set aside. Pat added that in 2023, the president wanted to get community input, but there was not good support for the large playscape that was proposed. The survey is just to gain input from the neighborhood at large. Chrislyn stated that mailed paper surveys are necessary because we do not have valid email addresses for some homeowners and to accommodate homeowners that need/want to use paper.

• Guest Bruce Timmons commented that he had included a memo to the board in his survey, and also via email. It expressed their concerns about the play structure, including that the former play structure had become a hangout for teens and that they often picked up beer cans and cigarette butts. He also stated the board should be taking care of other matters and asked about a directory. He also asked if there is still a surplus and noted that $20,000 had already been allocated to a play structure. Pat said there was no money allocated in the current budget for a play structure.

• Guest Sacha Eisner commented that after the October meeting, residents of four houses around the pond, on the behalf of six, met with the residents on Crooked Creek that had requested the fence, and that it was a good meeting. He also asked about the survey, and because it mentioned projects in common areas, what the process would be going forward with any decisions. Pat replied that the results will be compiled and they can be a topic of discussion in the annual meeting in February. Chrislyn also noted that anything needing a special assessment to fund would require a neighborhood vote. Kayla stated that the idea behind the survey was to involve all homeowners in the process of deciding on a project. Guest Tasha Warren commented that she saw no discussion of liability, and whether people want a structure near their homes. Pat said that the survey is just to gauge interest and Chrislyn said that the survey is not an official vote to move forward with a project.

Events Committee

• The Halloween kickoff and parade, held at the nature park, was small but successful. Elizabeth set up activities and Pat bought cider and donuts. There were quite a few kids ranging from toddlers to middle schoolers. Older kids met friends there to go trick-or-treating.

Maintenance Committee

• Chrislyn reported that she had received an email from Lawn Tech, the company that applies fertilizer and pesticides to the common lawn areas, an email offering a prepayment discount. Jim asked if Chrislyn had contacted any other companies, and Chrislyn said no, since Lawn Tech had developed a special plan last year at our request, which was a scaled-down version of what typical lawn care companies offer.

o Jim made a motion to let Chrislyn take the lead on this and determine which vendor to use, as she has knowledge/experience in this area.

 Pat seconded.

 Lynne stated that she did not think we should prepay now, as that would put the cost on the 2024 budget and it should be on the 2025 budget.

 Chrislyn will reach out to other companies to see if they’ll offer a scaled-down program.

 There was no need to move forward with the motion.

• Jean commented that she remembered Mike had been contacted by a homeowner who wanted to cut down a tree next to the entrance of the nature park, and she didn’t know if there had been a resolution to that. Lynne said that she knows Mike had a conversation with the homeowner, but that it might be appropriate for the board to also remind the homeowner that he cannot remove trees that are on Briarwood property.

• Lynne commented that some lights are out on the pathways to Kinawa and Chippewa schools. She does not feel comfortable having them serviced until the insurance issue is resolved, as those properties are not on the current policy.

Nominations Committee

• Jim reported that he submitted a list of candidates to the rest of the committee, and he named all of them.

• Pat asked about the deadline for nominations and Jim asked Jean when ballots are normally sent. Jean said that since the dues notices/ballots are being sent January 2, that having nominations close at the end of November would be enough time to prepare the ballots.

• Lynne asked if the nominations committee votes on the nominees or recommends them to the board.

o Pat stated that there’s no real protocol in the bylaws, other than checking signatures (which is not done as there are no signatures), but we can check to ensure they are homeowners and are in good standing.

• Chrislyn announced that she has decided to not run for a board position after all.

[Jim signed out of the meeting.]

Welcoming Committee

• Jean reported that she doesn’t have the spreadsheet of residents that need to be welcomed, but she knows there are some that need to be. She has also recently looked at home sales data from previous years, especially during COVID, and there are some that we could consider welcoming now, even though they have lived in the neighborhood for a while. She has also looked more at how many rental properties there are, and how/if to include the occupants in neighborhood events.

o Pat said that he would like to see more concrete information, maybe via email, before making decisions.

• Guest Laura Friedhoff asked how many board seats will be open.

o Pat replied that there will be six seats. There was discussion about how we will decide who will run for two year terms and who will run for three year terms. Normally, only three year terms would be open, but due to vacancies in recent years, the cycle is off.

• Lynne asked if Pat had secured a location for the annual meeting. There was discussion if the room at High Caliber would work and consensus was that it is likely too small. There was also some discussion about other potential locations and how many meetings we are allowed to have in Okemos Public Schools libraries.

• Guest Tasha Warren said that she is filling out a form to run for the board. She also commented that she had started coming to board meetings to feel more informed and offered suggestions for improvements. There was general discussion about ways to improve communication, how to find meeting minutes on the association website, and how to sign up for website update emails.

5. ADJOURNMENT

• Pat made a motion to adjourn the meeting.

o Chrislyn seconded.

o The vote was a unanimous yes (Kayla, Pat, Lynne, Chrislyn, George, and Jean) and the motion carried.

• The meeting adjourned at 8:45 pm.