Board Minutes, September 2004
MINUTES
MEETING: NCHOA Board of Directors
DATE: September 2, 2004
LOCATION: Crosby residence, 4847 Hopkins
1. ATTENDEES: Veronica Precella, Karin Hale, Ann Crosby, Barb Ditmars, Cindy Johnson, Lana Lathrop, Rich Lathrop. A quorum was present.
2. FINANCIAL MATTERS: The Board appointed Barb Ditmars as the new Treasurer of the HOA. Our sincere appreciation to Ann Crosby for seven years of service to the organization. And our gratitude to Qingfu Liang and Junru Xu of 4809 Hopkins for offering to serve. Ten Owners have not yet paid dues (mostly) for second half of year. Addresses will be posted at Kiosk.
3. HOT TUB: Deck surrounding hot tub has been repaired and treated. Awaiting invoice, estimated at $250. Advanced Water Treatment advised Cindy a new filter is needed (the reason for some recent unpleasant color). Board authorized expenditure of $100 for that purpose. Bathrooms and storage room now clean, stocked with supplies.
4. SOCIAL COMMITTEE REPORT: Northcreek’s first FAC drew about 20 participants despite cool, rainy weather and a Broncos pre-season game. Some kids met new friends!
5. ANNUAL MEETING: Tentatively set for NOVEMBER 7. Various Board members assigned to assemble facts for decisions facing the neighborhood. For list of potential items to be voted on, see last month’s Minutes (Aug. 5). We hope to have a survey ready this month, leaving all of October for discussion among neighbors. Can anyone out there set up a website or chat room or something that will facilitate the discussion?
6. ARCHITECTURAL CONTROL COMMITTEE: August ACC activity report was sent to Board before meeting. (Available electronically or hard-copy to any Northcreeker. Call Rich or email: richnlana@aol.com.) Ten properties remain out of compliance with the Covenants for lawn and/or weed conditions. Because the lawn “season” basically ends in early October, the ACC is not going to proceed any further on lawn problems this year. We have commitments from other Owners and will probably have to take direct action on only one or two properties. Rich distributed a draft
”Reasonable Care Standard for lawns, yards and landscaping” for the Board’s consideration.
7. “COTTONWOOD” TREE/UCAR – The day after the Board meeting, the HOA
received a letter from UCAR’s Associate Counsel demanding that we remove a willow
tree that – in their view – threatens UCAR property, employees and visitors. They
threaten “all legal recourse available” if we do not act immediately. We contend the tree is within the easement granted by NSHOA to the Boulder and White Rock Ditch
Reservoir Company and, according to our documents, is their maintenance
responsibility. UCAR volunteered to “assist” us in having the work done, upon
our payment to them of $960. This is only one of several legal issues emerging. Our
lack of legal counsel and our weak financial base puts the Association (and that means
EACH homeowner) in jeopardy.
8. NEW BUSINESS: Veronica reported that she had received an estimate of $485 to raise, level and grout the sinking concrete at the mail kiosk. Karin Hale volunteered to seek an estimate for actual removal and repouring of the concrete. Veronica also noted that she had completed her review of NSHOA’s insurance policies and found no deficiencies. She asked if a professional review was needed, but the Board took no action on the question.
9. LANDSCAPE: In August, the Board had authorized Ellen Readio to spend $250 to replace a controller on the sprinkling system. Board asked Rich to follow-up with Ellen to see if that work had been done. Some fixes to the system have been ongoing. Ann Crosby noted that SOMETHING had made a difference because we were billed for hundreds of gallons less this season than for comparable months last year and we had not been adjusting our system for June’s rains, etc. (The failing controller makes that nearly impossible).
In a later e-mail, the following correction was noted:
CORRECTION
As written:
9. LANDSCAPE: In August, the Board had authorized Ellen Readio to spend $250 to replace a controller on the sprinkling system.
The Board actually approved $500 for this purpose.
10. NEIGHBOR CONCERNS: Dog “deposits.” Several neighbors have reported the appearance of mystery piles of dog waste on their lawns or landscaping. It could be from dogs “just passing through” the neighborhood but the problem seems to coincide with the arrival of some new dogs in the neighborhood. In Boulder and in Northcreek, dogs are supposed to be on leash when off their own property. We’d hate to think owners are watching their dogs defecate on someone’s property without cleaning it up or turning dogs out late at night or early in the morning to visit other yards. If offending dogs are identified, report them to the ACC: Rich Lathrop, Thor Berg or Karin Hale.
Veronica reminded all that she is our representative on the Airport Master Plan Update. Northcreekers interested in that process should contact Veronica or visit http://www3.ci.boulder.co.us/airport/mp_update.htm. (Underscore between mp and update).
11. ADJOURN Adjourned at 8:20 p.m**.** Next meeting is Thursday, October 7 from 7-8 p.m. at the Lathrop home, 4874 Hopkins Pl.
EMAIL LIST CHANGES:
Add Rick and Barb Ditmars at rbditmars@pcisys.net
Add Prof. Valerian Tatarskii at vtatarskii@hotmail.com
Change Ruth McCorrison from ruthmc@attbi.com