Management Committee
Topics: Subjects: new trees, glyphophosphate (Round-Up), collecting signatures & mortgage info for Declaration
Management Committee
Topics: Topics: sick trees, smoke alarms, roofing, checks, capital reserve, raising Crown rents
declaration
Topics: Topics: pay-or-work, house rules, responsibility for decks, antennas, funding activities, reinvestment fee, rentals, fee for change of resident, process for approval of declaration
declaration
Topics: Topics: house rules, rentals, common expenses
Management Committee
Topics: Topics: solar panels rebate & monitoring, Crown & UHC, bills, for-sale or other signs on common path
Management Committee
Topics: Topics: Hiring office manager, hiring crown manager
Management Committee
Topics: Topics: landscaping labor & stand-on mower, finding a WCCA office manager, finding a Crown manager
Management Committee
Topics: Topics: paying for Crown repairs, viewing solar panel output, porch & c.h. roofs, landscaping labor
Management Committee
Topics: Topics: Crown reimbursements, landscaping, approval of #5 lease, solar panels
Management Committee
Topics: Topics: CC&R, Crown furnaces, grading & dirt moving, solar #22
Management Committee
Topics: Topics: Solar panel controls & insurance, parking lot sealant, Crown
Management Committee
Management Committee
Topics: topics: adjusted square footage for declaration, reserve study, crown furnaces, fee handling, snow
declaration
Management Committee
Topics: Topics: financials, planning for annual meeting, mower, crown, bylaws
Kathy wanted an update on the plans for planting new trees. Any food-producing trees? Mike A said there are plans for ten trees to be planted in the fall. One walnut is planned. No final decisions on where they will be planted. Budget is based on about $100 per tree, doesn't include removing elms.
When removing an elm, need to remove roots because the tree will resprout otherwise, but the roots don't produce chemicals that keep other things from growing as with some tree species. Planting a young tree underneath an older one might after a few years make it easier to persuade people to allow us to remove some elms, once the younger tree has grown a little. On the other hand it makes taking the tree out more difficult logistically.
Could we have stakes put in where trees are planned? That way people can offer input regarding where the shade will fall, who will be responsible for watering, and other considerations
One honeylocust is secreting a lot of sap; Hob told Mike A it is probably fighting an infection.
Having advance warning would be preferable to warning after the fact, but would generate many false alarms, because spraying would get cancelled anytime there is any wind at all. General warnings that a particular area will be sprayed during a particular time frame of several days would be helpful.
Possibility: Post flags in areas where RoundUp has been sprayed.
Probably more productive to approach the issue as honoring the values of
Kathy will write a proposal to go to ACM.
Amy will go around this weekend to get signatures that residents are aware of the Declaration amendments and the thirty-day comment period. The signature isn't agreeing to the changes, just an acknowledgment.
UHC is arguing that, because fences are shown in the original plans, therefore WCCA was supposed to pay for them. The Crown construction funds were supposed to cover everything including fences. From our point of view, it was in the blueprint because fences were allowed, just like on dog row, but residents were expected to pay. The maintenance fee of $20/month is not supposed to be used for landscaping, only for repairs that cost more than $200.
Maxine argues that the reason the Crown fund was depleted was that $7K was spent on landscaping and fences.
The rents have been kept well below market, so there wasn't the money in the first place there should have been. Susan Schow's & Hob's salaries were never budgeted.
Some reasons for raising the rent:
Maxine still hasn't been paid for her time in May (the money in the same amount from Hans was a personal loan, to be repaid once she was paid). Give the invoice for her time in May to Amy.
Richard would like the reinvestment fee to be much, much lower or nothing at all. He regards it as an extra hurdle to buying a house. A $1K fee added to a 30-yr mortgage is about $6.50 per month. The money stays in the community.
Field trip to see diseased branch in front of Susan's. Two patches on lawn, not under the same branch. Mary isn't concerned about the tree's safety. Hob has suggested the branch over the rof should be removed. Removing those three would take off all but one of the tree's lower branches, which would liontail the tree the trunk of a tree with branches just at the top doesn't taper properly and the tree becomes top heavy and unsafe.
A number of households have never replaced their smoke alarms. Alarms are supposed to be replaced every ten years or so. Some households have had theirs replaced Hans's units, Mary & Kay's, most of the crown. It might be more efficient to get the alarms replaced together as a community project for the others; on the other hand, somebody needs to head up the project. Smoke alarms that have deteriorated are a safety issue for the community since most units are connected.
:: Mike will check with the fire department whether there is a legal requirement to replace smoke alarms periodically. That would give Mgt leverage to require units to replace their smoke alarms.
Kathy's roof is leaking on the diagonal wall where the deck upstairs abuts the unit. Hans left a message with Tammy asking Ron to come look at her roof. Maxine gave permission for her unit to be accessed if she isn't present.
Hans sent a link July 1 about some shingles that his son's architect recommended. Ron Case sent shingle samples with an employee today different brand. Would increase cost of roof for single unit by $400. We don't have figures to know what percentage this is of the whole. Porch roofs were bid at $1300 each; clerestory roof is larger; upper bound of increase is thus 33%. To hold down cost, could we put the more expensive reflective shingles on southern exposures and ordinary shingles on northern? Shingle sample board mentions tax rebate, but condo assn. doesn't pay taxes to get a rebate on. How proven are these shingles? Our current shingles were a new type at the time, and have not worn well. For instance, how well would these cope with tree leaf acid?
Hans suggests that he could pay the difference for the new type of shingles. Comparison between the temperature upstairs in #22 and #24 wouldn't give us full information about the difference because the solar water panels will shade part of the roof. Hans wll also pay any extra costs due to the panels.
:: Management gave permission.
- Reserve acct for August^- Crown check for WCCA fees^- Crown to Sunrise Mtn Realty (Hob)^- Allied Waste^- SL Corp, water
Marci will deposit checks since Amy is out of town.
#15 swamp cooler replaced. UHC inspected it and paid Swamp Tech directly.
Money reimbursed to Crown checking by UHC was designated a "security deposit" and transferred to the savings account.
:: Ask Marci to cut a check for the money owed Maxine. Once she has the money, she will be able to repay the loan Hans made her.
Hans had Oppenheimer set up wire transfer to University Credit Union. ~$8K available for transfer without fees was sent to credit union.
Melisa, Maxine & Hob conferred and decided that only crown reserve reimbursements over $1K were worth pursuing, given the time it takes. Anything less, pay from crown checking.
On Jan 1st, according to Steve Graham, all crown leases will (are supposed to) expire; thereafter tenants will be under a month-to-month tenancy. Maxine says her lease expires March 1. Given that other things about the leases were done wrong, possibly the lease end date was also an error.
:: Check what date each lease expires.
Steve recommended that we raise rents to the maximum in January. (We're no longer restricted by UHC's maximum, but it gives us a reasonable figure to use.) Announcing it this early will allow tenants to adjust their budgets in anticipation.
Higher rents will help pay off the amount Crown LLC owes to WCCA for backlog of monthly assessments, and the liens against the units can be lower. Rents will encourage tenants to act expeditiously on purchasing unit or move if they don't intend to buy. Maxine objected that raising the rent would make it more difficult for the tenants to get mortgages. Kay pointed out that low rent meant tenants have had a long time to save up.
Maxine says that at the Crown training Carla Valentine said UHC won't have the amounts of the mortgages before March because it depends on the market value in January, and they need to have appraisals done etc. However, knowing the amount of the mortgage for the unit isn't necessary for determining
:: Hans will check with Susan Schow about what the maximum rent is.
Michael Miller suggested pay-or-work fees could be called fines. The community may not be happy with that term, since the approach we took regards payment as an honorable option.
New formula includes extra for units with decks. May want to make repair of decking an HOA responsibility, because owners are paying extra, and repair needs to be done correctly to prevent damage to membrane underneath.
If Management adopts' rules after they have been consensed ( approved by 67% vote'), we still need a term for community agreements that Management does not adopt (judging that they don't require enforcement). Kay is concerned that agreements that are not adopted (because mgt doesn't have tools to enforce them) will be seen as second-class and of lesser importance. Condo law assumes republican government, where people (residents) elect a government (board) and the board makes the rules, whereas we have direct democracy wherein the residents make the rules.
Management should ask about any proposal, is management expected to enforce this agreement, and if so, how?
Many of our agreements don't have formal enforcement, e.g., quiet hours are enforced only by peer pressure.
There is already language prohibiting transitory or hotel residency. What do we regard as too short a short-term rental? The goal is to keep residents long enough that they have time to learn to meaningfully participate in the community. There's no reason to restrict when subsequent leases end or whether renters are on a month-by-month tenancy. Initial lease should be a year, except with permission of management.
Originally the declaration had a restriction on maximum length of rentals. The concern was that renters would not fully participate. The view was that ownership was a superior legal framework for participation. Our experience is that renting vs. owning is not what makes a difference in participation. Thus maximum restriction is unnecessary and we recommend to drop it.
Discussed and approved formulation of language about funding community activities out of fees, which if the community decides, could include meals.
Discussed whether language re antennas should be that additions are restricted "except where provided by law", and decided to leave specific mention of antennas in.
The law puts restrictions on transfer fees. Can have a reinvestment fee instead, for instance three months of condo fees, or a tiny percentage of purchase price. The lawyer is going to provide more details.
If an ACM tackles the entire declaration, discussions are likely to be rambling and unfocused. May get better results if we restrict discussions to specific clauses, get agreement, then go on to the next.
The community needs to settle on a final version before it is sent to the banks. Sixty days later residents approve the declaration either at a special meeting or by ballot Ballots would give us a paper trail, and since the community has already approved it another ACM isn't really necessary.
The committee discussed proposed edits to the Declaration, temporarily available at [URL]
EXCERPT, Article II B 19) Community Rules The Management Committee, with the advice and consent of the Association by a sixty-seven percent (67%) majority vote of the Association, shall have the power to adopt and establish by resolution, such Project management, operational, administrative and/or house rules and regulations as it may deem necessary for the maintenance, operation, management and control of the Project. For Community Rules to be binding, they must be furnished in writing to the Unit Owners.
There is no provision allowing Management to act in an emergency. Add a sentence to allow Management to make temporary rules in order to deal with an emergency in a timely manner, to be reviewed by the community at the first opportunity. This may reassure banks.
EXCERPT, Article II B 18) Personal Participation Wasatch Commons is a co-operative Community which requires each Member Household to participate personally in the maintenance and shaping of the community. If such participation is not possible, member households have the option to pay a monetary fee instead. The level of these fees is determined from time to time by a sixty-seven percent (67%) majority fee of the Association. This fee cannot be more than twenty-five percent (25%) of the monthly dues.
The Pay-or-Work fee as determined by the community is $40 per adult in a household. Capping it at 25% of the monthly fee is only enough for one adult in even the smallest units. With adult children a household can easily have three adults. $80 (two adults) is 33% of the current fee for a 4BR, $240.
Per Hans's reading of the condo law, condo fees can be (1) the same for each unit, (2) by square footage, or (3) par-value. When using par-value, similar units must have similar fees, so it can't include the number of residents. Thus building the pay-or-work fee into the monthly assessments may not be allowed under condo law.
Calling it a maintenance fee runs into the problems that maintenance is normally paid for from the monthly assessment. On the other hand, fees besides the monthly assessment aren't entirely banned; e.g., charging for use of the laundry. The number of people in a household does impact the facilities.
Decision: Explain to the lawyer, Michael Miller, how the community wants pay-or-work to function, and ask how to word things so it is legally sound. What can we call a fee per adult that can be worked off?
EXCERPT 4.b.1 Common Expenses, Costs of Operation, " all cost of community-building activities for the Association members as defined in the Bylaws and authorized through the budget process, "
Just "community activities", not community-building.
This section talks about "costs of Management of the Common Areas and Facilities" being a legit expense. It specifically mentions "all costs and expenses of the club house and the equipment and furnishings therefor". That seems to leave out the workshop and its equipment and furnishings. The community has purchased things like a lawn mower. It might at some point wish to purchase shop equipment, auto repair equipment, exercise equipment, furniture for the dojo etc.
EXCERPT 7A) Central Path Area Fortified and Clear for Emergency Access The Ground next to the central Pathway is fortified with buried "grassy pavers" to support emergency vehicles driving across when needed. No obstacles must be placed on this area, the vegetation must be kept low, and the pavers themselves must not be removed. In particular, no for sale signs must be placed along the central Pathway. (33)
This level of detail probably belongs in Bylaws. At some point we might want to get rid of all the grassy pavers in favor of brick, or vice versa. Just refer to pavers, which includes both grassy pavers and brick?
:: Kay will come up with alternative wording.
[Edit, June 25: "The Central Path is part of a required drivable twenty-foot wide access for emergency vehicles. The paving may include paving bricks, grass pavers, or other drivable surfaces. No obstacles may be placed in this area, and the integrity of the paving must be maintained."]
Question to ask lawyer: The banks see the Declaration. Do they see the Bylaws? Do they see the House Rules?
EXCERPT: Nonparticipation may lead to Nonrenewal. Although the Association may not unreasonably withhold permission to rent, it may withhold permission to renew the lease if the tenant household does not follow the rules for community participation spelled out in the Declaration, Bylaws, and Community Rules. (44)
There are rules besides participation we want them to follow, and "community participation" might a red flag for bankers. Just " does not follow the rules spelled out in "
EXCERPT: e) Long Term Rentals No Unit Owner shall be permitted to lease or rent his Unit for transient or hotel purposes or for one continuous period of more than twelve months without the prior written permission of the Management Committee. Notwithstanding these restrictions, it is permitted to time the leases in such a way that they end at a time of year when it is easier to move, such as the end of the school year.
There are other reasons to want to a lease ending at a specific time of year or for a period other than six months or a year. Phrase it " at a time suitable to the owner's needs."
Management meetings are the first and third Wednesday of each month.
Check for $11,003.90 from Rocky Mountain Power, deposited Monday into checking.
:: Pay Gardiner the balance owed.
Still need to figure out a more-permanent internet connection than a wire going out the workshop window and into Matt's window. Then talk to Rocky Mountain about setting up a view-only account that community members can look at.
:: Amy will email Mike A some links to info about bridging to non-wifi equipment.
Steve Graham told Hans that the reserve that UHC holds is in escrow. UHC holds it because they hold the mortgage, but it belongs to WC Crown. Once the mortgage is paid off the money goes to WC Crown (not the individual residents).
Steve recommends that before asking UHC about any policy, we see what is in the original contract. Then we can say, this is our understanding of what the contract says, what is yours? Mike P has given Hob the box of Crown papers he had. Hob will be scanning and organizing them.
Checks^- Western Compliance fee^- June 1st WCCA fees from Crown^- Vial Fotheringham $1,122 for declaration review^- Two Tango, repair drip irrigation on west berm^- Lake Hill and Meyer $600 for 2012 Crown tax return^- Pacificorp rebate $11,003.90
Autopayments^- Travelers Insurance, $1134.59, there will be a slight increase because of solar panels^- Allied Waste $332.71^- 3 water bills^- Questar Gas, 2 accts
Rocky Mountain Power $130.12. Two meters plus Blue Sky. They haven't done the offset for the common house, so hopefully we will be getting a credit. 303 kWh consumed, panels produced 1770, net 1467 kWh. Bill should be $11.49 for each meter.
Invoice #1717 from Gardner Engineering $13,101.76, balance for solar panels. Write check tonight; Marci will notify Amy once the bank releases the funds from the Pacificorp check so it can be mailed.
Invoice for $180 from Zach Smith for landscaping west berm.
Marci needs dates of original move-in for each Crown resident so she can calculate the apportionment of the money in the savings account. (Vivian was November 1998; Myste also?) She has been able to assign most charges to the particular units. Undeterminable charges may simply have to be split five ways.
When the gutter toppers were installed, Crown funds paid for the one on a Crown unit (probably Vivian's). It should have been paid for from the WCCA; WCCA should repay Crown.
Hob has suggested that the for-sale sign in front of Richard & Susan's would do more good out on the road rather than in front of their unit. Some condo associations have rules that units can only post signs in the window or at the entrance to the property.
The sign post had to have been punched through the grassy paver. Probably the paver will still function. We should possibly have something in the CC&R about not damaging or ripping out the pavers (grassy or brick). Nothing blocking the emergency access or damaging the integrity of the drivable surface.
Patti will be here tomorrow working for Wasons. Is anyone available to talk to her about the mower?
Ad hoc CC&R committee, scheduled meeting: Monday June 24th 7:00 p.m..
Amy brought an employment agreement, based roughly on the list of duties that Melisa prepared. The committee went over it with her. Agreed on salary of $200 per month. Amy will make some changes in the employment agreement and email it to the management list for final approval.
:: Did Laraine get the "proof of insurance" she needed? Amy will check with her. [Edit: June 17, 2013 9:31 PM, "I did get the proof of insurance from Melissa. Thanks, Laraine"]
Hiring Crown Manager ("Close-Out Agent")
Hob went over his understanding of the Crown manager's duties. He feels strongly that the community made a commitment fifteen years ago that, if the Crown residents adhered to the program, they would have the opportunity to buy their unit. UHC has their own best interest in mind, not ours; we need to advocate for our people.
There is a lot of education and hand-holding for first-time home buyers. He is licensed for mortgages and real estate in Utah.
He will be meeting with Mike Polacek etc. next week. He wants to meet with each resident and discuss what needs to be done to bring the program to a successful conclusion.
He will read all the documents we have for Crown. He will ask UHC to put things in writing, and will compare them to the original agreements.
Keep record of hours. Maintain record of communications with residents. ("Spoke to Jane Doe, unit #X, regarding needed repairs, January 3, 6:15-6:40,")
Payment $20/hour. Bonus at end of program of $5/hr? For now we will not be paying anyone else.
There's a Crown email list, which the Crown residents haven't used. Hans will expand it to include Management, plus Hob and Amy, for use for Crown management business.
Landscaping labor and stand-on mower
No one in the community has expressed an interest in taking care of the stand-on mower. Matt Noorda is trying to start a landscaping business. Hans suggested that we could let Matt buy it. If the mower was his, he would be motivated to look after it. He doesn't have money to purchase it. If he was using it elsewhere while working off the purchase price and something happened to the mower, we'd be out the cost.
While it cannot be used, nobody is motivated to learn how to use it.
:: Mike A will be in touch with Patti (asking about buying the rototiller) and he will ask her if she knows how to put the foot panel back on. Once it is put together and we know that it runs, then we will arrange payment to Patti.
:: Do we have a manual for it? Kay will look into getting one.
Naomi and Amy are acting as a Landscape committee. If they will be supervising the work, let them make the decisions who to hire.
:: Hans will email Matt Noorda's phone number.
Melisa emailed a list of office manager duties. We were paying first Linda and then Marla Dee $300 a month, but that was for both WCCA and Crown and included everything that Susan Schow and Marci are now doing as well. Linda estimates it worked out to about $15/hr.
Amy has expressed an interest in the job as a paid position. She has class on Thursday evenings, so Management meetings would need to be rescheduled.
:: Offer her $20/hour with a cap of $200/month. Find out what evenings she is available.
Melisa recommended that Maxine be paid out of WCCA funds for the work in (attempting to arrange) getting the carpets cleaned that she did. There isn't any appropriate budget category to pay such a bill. It would be having one corporation pay the other's bills.
:: Decision Not appropriate to pay from WCCA.
Other Crown residents weren't consulted about hiring Maxine. She invoiced in minimum blocks of an hour for even what should have been very quick tasks. Not a good idea for an hourly job to be left totally open-ended where the worker decides what needs to be done and how long to spend doing it. It's a conflict of interest for someone in Crown to be the manager. That's one reason Linda stepped down, and it also applies to Maxine. Better if the Crown manager doesn't live in Crown. At the same time, the manager needs to be motivated (by community spirit or money if need be) to perform the job
:: Hans will ask Maxine not to incur any more billable hours until we have met with her.
Kay would consider taking on Crown management, although not eager to. Needs someone organized. She or whoever would need to get up to speed on getting the reimbursements and getting approval for future repairs.
[Addenda: Spoke to Hob after the meeting. He would be willing.]
Per Linda, at the time Crown did the landscaping, the operating account had nearly $20K. They spent about $7,500 on the landscaping. Where did the rest of that money go? If everyone can see how we got where we are, there'll be more acceptance of whatever may be necessary.
:: Get a report showing all transactions in and out of the Crown account, to improve understanding of the history of the cash flow.
Different people at UHC tell us different things. Hans asked for clarification of who gets equity if market value is worth more than mortgage, and reply made no mention of 40% that was talked about in meeting with UHC and Crown.
:: Look for original documents setting up Crown program.
Harmon at UHC had said UH C would only pay for an 80% efficiency furnace out of the reserve. Questar is giving rebates for higher efficiency furnaces that pretty much cover the difference in cost. Hans talked to Harmon about this. Harmon has suggested we get bids (two each) for 80%, 90%, and 95% furnaces.
Hans requested Kay to send him Steve-the-electrician's contact info.
Steve Harris.
Contact him at work, United Electric, 315 W 3000 S.
ph 801-972-5410. His hours there are M-H 8:30-4:30
Next meeting on Wednesday, if Amy is available.// FOLLOWUP Thursday, June 06, 2013 5:06 PM - Patty suggested this weekend for lawn mower reassembly demo. Unfortunately, I'll still be in SC. someone should call her to firm up a time.
from Melisa Nielsen, Sent: Friday, May 31, 2013 8:19 PM - I would like to make a public statement about this meeting and the minutes.
I am pretty shocked that I was not invited to this meeting for input, in fact I was told I did not need to come. I have been doing this job for the last 6 months and even though I have resigned, I have been VERY open about helping in this transition. I have information that I am willing to share.
I feel like reinventing the wheel is a huge mistake. For CROWN. For the community. For the members that live here.
Melisa Nielsen^
Three Crown residents have small balances, haven't adjusted amounts they've been paying since rent increase at first of year.
Resident is responsible for any repair that is under $200 (per repair, not total). According to the leases, repairs that are paid for from Crown (that resident has neither done nor arranged and paid for) are considered rent. The resident must repay it with the next month's rent. Vivian and Linda P both have repairs needed <$200 that they were notified of in February and still haven't done.
If someone who isn't participating gets evicted, the replacement may or may not participate. On the other hand, "may or may not" is a better gamble than "doesn't."
:: Melisa will provide Vivian and Linda P a letter saying that the money needs to be paid with the next rent, or they need to come to the next Management meeting and come to an agreement about a payment plan. Otherwise the late rent policy kicks in: 3-day quit-or-pay. Agreed by Management.
Melisa's biggest frustration is that two of the Crown residents won't respond to communications.
Utah Housing provided a lease about five years ago. The lease doesn't allow pets. Susan Schow tells Melisa that she wouldn't go against UHC's lease. Per Linda R , UHC does not require us to use that lease. We've always hand-amended the lease to allow pets. (Linda R's most recent lease didn't get her cat written in; need to amend.)
:: Melisa will check with UHC if their lease is required or recommended.
Currently anyone with the password to view the solar panels' output can change the password. Different panels have quite different output. Currently controller is downstairs, with cable to Matt's house. Gardiner uploaded the information that Rocky Mtn Power needs for the rebate. W-5 tax form required for rebate; use WCCA's rather than Naomi's. Naomi talked to insurance agent; amount of insurance is due less to concern about vandalism or hailstorms damaging panels than that the panels are on a carport, which could be damaged by a vehicle knocking out a pillar or heavy snow collapsing it.
:: Hans will ask them to set up a read-only account.
:: Naomi will ask Gardiner if differing output is normal.
The porch roofs on the fourplex are worse than any other roofs. Mr Ron Case (the owner) rated them D. Rated the c.h. roof as C.
If the plywood under the shingles has been damaged, it will need to be replaced also. Extra expense. If we find that the plywood on the porches needs to be replaced, that may make doing the c.h. roof more urgent before it has similar damage.
Mr Case explained that when leaves stay on roof, the acid can damage the shingles. The reflection from the c.h. atrium windows has degraded the nearby shingles.
He explained that areas around dumpsters need to be cleaned better than rest of asphalt before resealing; apparently his workers didn't. He will redo it without charge.
Several times there has been water leaking down into the office, the last time (per Richard & Mike A) about a year ago. One of the c.h. furnaces is above the office. When Mike A's house had water damage it turned out to be water condensation from his furnace.
There's enough left in the reserve to do the porch roofs.
:: Give Ron Case the go-ahead to do the porch roofs.
Standard practice to have at least two bids. Should do that even though we were satisfied with Ron Case's work on the wall repairs.
:: Hans and Mike A will look for the company names of the other roofers we talked to last year, and forward info to Richard. Mike A and Mike W will send Richard their schedules. On a day Mike A and Mike W can attend, Richard will make an appointment for a roofer to look at c.h. roof and give a bid.
Landscaping Labor
Naomi's gardener recommended someone, Zack Smith. Doesn't have his own equipment. Wants $20/hr. Naomi has made an appointment with him to work on the west berm irrigation. Try Zack with a few jobs. For community work he should submit an invoice, to be given to Melisa for payment. Invoice should have dates, times, and a short description of work done (e.g., what area of the property).
Naomi contacted Natalia's friend; he's got enough work already and isn't interested in more. Matt Noorda did some work for Laraine; check with her what she thought.
Twenty hours a week at $20/hr for summer works out to be around $3K.
All work needs to go through Melisa so that she can get clearance from UHC. She and Maxine met with UHC.
UHC probably won't reimburse for the fences or for the $1200 portion of Maxine's floor that Maxine herself paid cash for. They may reimburse the $800 paid for from Crown's funds (check next week, maybe). They rarely if ever pay for anything outside. They will decide on reimbursement for the rest of the work already done on a case-by-case basis.
They will pay for 90% efficiency appliances; the difference for higher-efficiency must be paid for by the resident. They will not pay for moving the furnaces downstairs.
Process for any items or repairs over $1,000
1. Get at least two bids. Three are better.
2. We fill out UHC's request form and submit it with the bids.
3. UHC reviews request and bids and either approves, rejects, or asks for revision.
4. If approved, we get the work done.
5. UHC inspects.
6. UHC reimburses us.
The Crown units have until May 15 to get compliance repairs done. The tenants were notified two months ago, and some repairs still aren't done. Melisa put notices on doors saying that repairs must be done by Monday or the repair will be hired out and the amount added to the unit's rent.
UHC won't grant an extension for us to replace carpets instead of cleaning them by the 12th.
Melisa needs copies of the invoices for the electrical repairs from last summer.
Melisa spoke to Susan Schow about altering the leases to allow pets. Susan said no. Susan said UHC might require any damage caused by pets to be reimbursed by the tenants.
Marci (7:30)
Checks:^- Reserve^- Western compliance^- April 1 and May 1 checks from crown for dues^- Reimbursement to Vicky for c.h. t.p. purchase
Autopay:^- Rocky mtn^- Travellers^- Allied waste^- Quester gas
UHC wants a budget for Crown for 2012 that should have been submitted 2011. Melisa told Marci she will get back to her about whether she should prepare it. (We don't understand why they need a budget retrospectively, when they have actuals.) Maxine will ask Melisa also if Marci should prepare one for 2013.
Condo fees: Units #3, 5, & 7 have amounts greater than a month overdue. #3 is adhering to plan to pay down amount. Steve tends to pay lump sum periodically, may not realize he has gotten behind. Who pays for #7, Anne or the Prices? #1 and #20 have small amounts.
Landscaping
Naomi is concerned about getting the north field mowed. Mike A looked at Angel's mower; the platform to stand on doesn't seem to be there. (His tiller is also in our garage.) Naomi talked to Paul; he said he would be willing to attempt mowing with the stand-on mower. Matt also may be willing to mow. Do we have functional weed-whackers? Mike got the name of someone we might hire from Patti and passed it along to Mary, on her request. Naomi is willing to supervise workers but could use help figuring out what to tell them to do.
:: Ask Mary to talk to Naomi about what needs doing. What areas need attention?
:: Did the mower ever get paid for?
:: Does Mary know the repair status of the mower or weed-whackers?
:: Put out a call to the community to get someone to coordinate/supervise hiring landscape workers during the summer.
Matt Noorda and his friend moved the dirt pile from in front of Noorda's. Hans paid them $300 for the work. They got permission from the HOA across the street to move it there.
Approval of Lease, #5
Mike went through the lease for #5. It includes pay-or-play provision. New tenants Leslie Peterson & Daniel Gartland. Lease approved by Mgt.
Ahmed decided against renting #5; feels Steve is asking too much.
Ron Case will be here 2:00 p.m. on Saturday to look at roof of #22 and at parking lot.
Solar Panels on East Carport
Naomi will write up the agreement with the community regarding payment for the solar panels. Part of cost is a grant from Naomi. Part is a loan to WCCA from Naomi, to be repaid by waiver of monthly assessment. She will arrange for the rebate.
Panels generated 75 kilowatt-hours of electricity today, $8 worth.
The meter of the workshop and common house are aggregated (that is, billed together), and any power the panels feed into the electrical grid (after powering the workshop and carport lights) is credited against the power used by the common house. Netting is done on an annual basis. Credits are carried over until April 1st.
Surveillance cameras
Richard is researching surveillance cameras. Even cheaper units can now store two years' of recordings.
In order to notify the lenders about the CC&R modifications, first someone needs to gather all the information from each household: Loan #, name of loan company, address. Person doing this should check what the bylaws say calling a special meeting.
:: Ask Isabella if she would do this.
Hans has made some changes in response to some of the concerns raised. Even though the lawyer is (supposedly) looking at the CC&R, go ahead and send Hans any suggestions or concerns. Please offer suggestions as to language on how to fix anything you would like to see changed, so Hans doesn't have to do all the writing.
Crown, Melisa's report
One Crown resident that is behind on rent.
:: Melisa will meet with her.
Repairs must be done by May 1. No money in Crown operating funds. Okay to borrow money from WCCA? Vivian & Myste both need new furnaces. Melisa got bids from two companies for the same two furnaces. For 95% efficiency single-stage standard-blower furnace, $2,300. For 96% two-stage variable-speed blower $2,800. $400 to bring Myste's up to code.
Myste and Linda P have requested that the furnace be put on the first floor instead of in the ceiling when it is replaced; likely Utah Housing won't pay the extra cost. Relocation $1,888 in Affordable's bid.
:: Melisa will ask UHC if they will pay for it. If not, ask Myste if she can pay for it. If not, it doesn't happen.
All of the water heaters are the same age. If we totally spend down the capital account UHC holds, and then one goes out, WCCA will have to come up with the money.
UHC agreed to pay for Vivian's carpet to be cleaned; she wants it replaced instead.
:: Get pictures from Ron Case of back wall of #15/17 to show to UHC when the invoice for the special assessment is presented, to clarify why deck had to be replaced. Joe Numbers promised us pictures but he's gone now.
Melisa will send one more email & notice on doors reminding crown residents of the required repairs and setting a date by which they need to have taken care of them, or Melisa will schedule them. Resident can rent a carpet cleaner themselves, or Melisa will have cleaning done professionally.
Reimburse Vicky for toilet paper for common house.
:: Management approves Mary continuing the grading work #13/15/20/22. Hans is contributing part of the rental cost for a bobcat.
Received letter from city; they had a complaint about the fence and the dirt pile in front of John's. Hans prefers not to replace the fence. If he takes possession of the property he will be taking down the fence and remodeling the house. Mary has suggested using the dirt to add to the spiral mound in the wild area; she can move it when she is using the bobcat.
The orchard won't work well for a Maypole this year because of the chickens. Okay to put it up on the north field? Suggested that Melisa should bring it up at the ACM.
Replacing the roof on #22 after the solar panels are in place will be more complicated. Plumber suggests replacing roofing now, if it is anticipated to be done within the next five years. Hans is getting a bid from Ron Case. They need to look at the asphalt anyway.
Next meeting Thursday May 2nd.
The solar panels generate information that needs to be managed. Gardiner will install a box for an Ethernet cable at the meter. From there it could be sent over a weather-proof wireless transmitter, or over the power line to a computer in the workshop. Could put a wireless router on it to monitor from a computer elsewhere in the community. The wired connection from #26 to common house works.
Downstairs in the workshop isn't a good place for a computer because of wood dust, dirt, and fumes. If the control computer is upstairs, it should have an intranet connection so that Naomi can monitor it.
Mike A. talked to Michelle at Century Insurance (Craig Crockett's agency). She said the premium for the solar panels would be $642. $400 prorated for the year. Naomi would like to speak to the agent to get more info.
:: Mike A will send Naomi the contact info for Century Insurance.
Field trip to look at parking lots. The sealant is flaking off in a number of places, and taking the paint of the stripes and handicap symbols with it.
:: Find paperwork for contract & warrantee. Contact Ron Case for copy?
:: Contact Ron Case about fixing problem.
Field trip to workshop to look for good location for computer for solar panels.
Melisa sent in the receipts to Utah Housing. They bumped the case to Scott Harmon, who is being a stickler. Likely will not reimburse any of the repairs we've done because we hadn't gotten preapproval, except maybe the swamp cooler on #14 because of it being the handicap unit. Melisa will be taking photos and submitting to Utah Housing written statements from Mary & Mike W etc. who were involved with the repairs.
Carpet in #15 was stained by cat pee before Maxine moved in and needed to be replaced. Utah Housing is unhappy that Maxine's portion was paid in cash, despite Lemco's receipt showing it.
Utah Housing gets to pocket any of the capital fund that isn't spent. The mortgages will be at 7% interest, despite market interest being so much lower currently.
When things are preapproved the vendor can invoice Utah Housing directly.
Melisa is submitting reports to American Express that should have been submitted yearly.
Automatic transaction at Chase Bank that moves $50 a month from Crown checking to savings. Needs to be increased to $75.
Checks --
The checks that were being held for the past-due monthly assessments from Crown have been voided.
Crown $250 Western Compliance $360 Catalyst Paul Wason for work removing weed barrier (landscape budget) Travellers insurance Water Glen's Lock & Safe to fix c.h. locks $224.01 Donations from Matt Frandsen and Michele's friends for staying in common house.
:: Mike A will contact the c.p.a. about the status of crown's 2012 taxes, requesting them by April 15 at latest. Melisa needs a digital copy to give to Susan Schow so she can get them to UHC.
:: Mike A will send out to the community the rough figures on how much the special assessment will be for each individual unit.
(1) For future accounting we need a statement, signed by Naomi and the Management Committee, outlining the deal which was approved at the ACM, with all the numbers and as much detail as possible.
(2) We need to include the Solar Panels in our insurance so that they are protected against vandalism. Mike A will contact our insurance agent today, Friday.
(3) It is the time of year for opening up our swamp coolers. It is the policy of Management Committee that to have one vendor do them all, so that they are done consistently and to prevent accidents if people hire their own non-expert handiman. In the past, Mike W had done this and then he has been the manager for his son Paul and others (Tyler). This year he is willing to do it again; he will supervise and train Paul and a 17-year-old friend of Paul's and he also said that Chris expressed interest in doing this. Management committee requires a liability waiver for Paul and his friends from their parents in order to go ahead with this. This year he will no longer work with Tyler. The discussion was not very specific but Hans thinks the sense is: if you want to do your swamp cooler personally you are welcome to do it. If you hire it out, you have to go through Mike W.
(4) Long discussion about CROWN. All repairs below $200 a year should have been covered by the residents themselves. The monthly $15 reserve fund should have been credited to each unit separately and any draws from this fund should have been allocated to the unit for which this draw was made. We will do so going forward but We are in the process of recouping the money for last year's extensive repairs from the CROWN capital reserve fund, and we are planning to use the remainder of this money in the best possible way because this money will go away next Jan 1st, we have to use it before then or we will lose it.
(5) Drainage issues around the units. In the case of rainstorms, drainage must be away from the units, and there must be a good clearance between the stucco and the ground. It has been dry for two years now but we must expect more variability of the weather in the future. The alarmingly high ground water levels which we experienced a few years ago will probably come back, and we should prepare for this. Mary is willing to do work on a bobcat, finishing the work behind units 22 (Nielsens) and 19 (Carol), and also addressing other problem areas. Management supports Mary in this but requires Mary to consult with the residents before doing the bobcat work.
(6) Hans is still putting as much time as he can spare to work on the Condo Declaration so that we have a good product to show to the lawyer, so that we can minimize the lawyer's bills for this.
Did I forget anything?
Hans
Management Committee Meeting Thursday Mar 21
Mainenance report -- Maxine will collect repair requests from Hans' data base page on UU Economics and add them to her monthly maintenance diary to link with repair persons, fixes. Glen's Keys will come this Monday 10am-12 to fix the locks. they will adjust the lock of the inside door so keys will work they will remove one deadbolt on the outside door and replace w/ hand-turned lock they will make copies of keys for the management mailbox they will make copies of mailbox key for Mike W other needs should be reported to Maxine before Monday 10 a.m.. Maxine will ask Mike Pollichek about fixing the fireplace she is inquing about fixes for the oven also
Crown report -- Melisa has consulted with UHC to verify what types of costs can be covered by the UHC fund and what can be covered by the Crown fund. She is billing UHC for reimbursement of repair costs taken from the Crown fund, which will pay bakc the Crown debt to WaCoHo. Most repairs should be billed to the UHC fund, not the Crown fund; and some costs taken from the Crown fund were not eligble. UHC will be reimbursing us for about $5000 in repair costs taken from the Crown fund, which will reimburse the Crown debt to WaCoHo. This will leave only enough funds in the UHC fund to cover the costs of new furnaces and a few other necessary repairs. In the future, swamp cooler maintenance must be paid by tenants. All maintenance costs under $200 per item must be paid by tenants. Any maintenance costs over $200 per item must be requested first and approved by UHC in order to be reimbursed, and may not be depending on how much money is left in the UHC account.
Accounting report -- Marcy reported on accounts payable and receiveable, checks written and received.
Landscaping discussion -- Mary asked if we might have petty cash available for paying landscapers ad hoc for work. Marcy said we paid Angel with checks and workers should be verified with the state. Maxine was concerned about reputablility of ad hoc providers, also security in our community. Who will we find to replace Angel this summer? Mike A. will ask Patty for a referral. Marcy suggested Sunline Landscaping. Melisa knows a lanscaper.
Soil levels next to house walls: Mary has advised that we remove soil 4-6 inches below walls to prevent flooding this spring. Mike W. said a city inspector informed Carol two years ago that the main reason to keep soil levels 4 inches below bottom of stucco is to be able to see termiite tracks. Mike A. suggested planting thirsty shrubs near walls to absorb water. Hans suggested that we work with Mary to remove soil where needed.
Mike W. asked about....?
:: Mike will send Hans the table showing the adjusted square footage, without the columns of condo fees. :: Hans will show the proposed amendments to the lawyer and have him get them into the appropriate language. Once the amendments are in legalese, we will call a special membership meeting to approve all the amendments and approve the special assessment. Reserve Study Including the cost of the software Mike estimates he could do a reserve study for $1,200. Should we get a bid on getting it done professionally, or just go ahead? Kay would like to have the reserve study done professionally, at least once. No surprises from something being left out because our members aren't experienced with real estate. Possible to get a professional to review the study after it is done? :: Mike will ask Kevin what a professional reserve study usually costs. Agreed to have Mike do study. May have a professional review it; consider having study done by a professional when community finances are better. Stand aside: Kay. Crown Crown inspection yesterday went well. Went through each unit in maybe five minutes, looking mostly for safety issues and that everything works. Now the inspection is done, Melisa will focus on submitting the bills from previous repairs. Stress that #14 is our ADA unit, it has disabled residents, & it was extremely hot when we needed to replace the swamp cooler. Mountainwest recommends moving the furnaces out of the crown attics into the furnace room. Bid for that would be $5K rather than $3K. Financials Mike is working on getting Melisa the correct access in order to enter receivables. Procedure: Payment checks will be placed by community members in the internal mail folder. Melisa will pick them up from there and enter them into QuickBooks. She will give the check to Mike to deposit in the bank. Rebecca (#9 owner) is paid up in full. Invoice from Manwill for ~$137. Usually there is a charge just to come look at something, but this is rather high. Their "fix" failed the next day. Worth fighting? No. :: Marci will prepare a check. Marci has found a US Treasury check payable to Wasatch Commons that is stale-dated. Look into getting it reissued. Owners are charged a late fee when late paying HOA fees. Crown residents pay late fees when late paying their rent. Crown being late with HOA fee isn't because anyone was late paying their rent, it was because the money for repairs came from the operating account when it should have come from the reserve account. Not the fault of anyone in crown. Charging a late fee implies fault. Haven't been charging late fees consistently. Need to apply them equitably. Privacy concern about posting statement showing who owes what. Counter-argument that community opinion is the biggest leverage we have. :: Melisa will prepare statement for posting without names on, just unit #s. Marci issued a new check from crown for January HOA fees at new rates, voided old one at old rate. Glenn Dana for snowplowing $110. Extra charge for coming back to clear parking stalls at Susan's request. Pile of snow by workshop makes it hard for cars on that end to get in/out. Snow by garden is blocking fire hydrant. Invoice from Lake Hill & Meyer for 2011 tax return. Affordable Heating $2,149 for new workshop furnace. Hobart $67.24, installed filter for water softener on dishwasher. Checks for reserve, dated Jan 15 for Feb, dated Feb 15 for March. Marci will email Hans when he should deposit them. Questar, Rocky Mtn Power, Traveller's Insurance, Allied Waste. I'm not sure whether these minutes got distributed or not. This meeting was the day before I went to the hospital, so I'm guessing not ... Easier to remail them then to hunt through my 'sent' box.Minutes of Management Committee Meeting, on Thursday, February 7, 2013
CC&R:
Checks
Minutes of declaration Meeting, on Monday, January 14, 2013
The ad hoc committee for the condo declaration met today.
Kevin could not participate for family reasons. He has worked out a schedule how to allocate assessments which tries to be fair, i.e., units which are designed so that they have higher maintenance expenses (decks, single story, standalone) have to pay a little more.
On the next ACM we will explain this schedule to the community and seek consensus whether to use the formula worked out by Keving or something else. We will submit it as a proposal. After this has been discussed and consensed by the community, we will make the necessary amendments to the Condo Declaration, with the help of a lawyer. Then a special membership meeting will have to be called to approve these amendments.
After the Condo Declaration has been amended, we will decide on the details of the special assessment to replenish our reserve fund after the repairs of the leaking deck roofs.