Minutes of Oak Terrace Improvement Association-May 1, 2013
Meeting was called to order at 7:04pm by President Greg Denny.
Board members present: Radu Roman, Jim Loring, Dan Griffin, Dina Lepczinski, Frank Cirrincione, William Yarbrough, Greg Denny, Gregg Zink, Ramona Triebold, and Colleen Hodges. Joe Fedro was the only member at large present.
Dina Lepczinski made a motion to dispense with the reading of minutes from the April 6th meeting of the board. Dan Griffin seconded and the motion passed unanimously.
Dan Griffin presented the treasurer’s report. He reported the balance in all accounts totaled $32,704.13. He further stated the thirty day collection notices seemed to be working as we have received $9107 in past due payments to date. Dan also reported on a deal with a resident (Speers) that will allow him to extend the thirty days to June 1st, if he pays in full by that date. Radu Roman made a motion to accept the treasurer’s report. Frank Cirrincione seconded and the motion passed.
Greg reported on a conversation with our attorney, Julie Jacobson, who suggests we authorize serving thirty day notices on the next twelve property owners with the highest level of debt to OTIA. Greg explained the process once again for any member present who may have had some questions about the proceedings. He reported that we served thirteen property owners with thirty day letters and to date have received payment from five of those served. It was suggested that we adopt the guideline of serving thirty day letters to all owners who are at least two years in arrears, thereby stopping the large back payments that have been allowed to accrue. Frank Cirrincione made a motion to serve the next twelve highest debtors with thirty day notices. Ramona Triebold seconded. The motion passed unanimously.
Greg handed out a copy of the legal description as drawn up by the attorney. This document will show all areas included and excluded from the OTIA. The legal description will exclude the properties across Route 60/83 and the trailer park. It includes the properties owned by MPRD, but not as paying/voting members. Dina made a motion to accept the document of inclusions and exclusions as prepared by our attorney. Gregg Zink seconded. The motion passed unanimously.
It was suggested that we check with our lawyer about the possibility of taking over ownership of the path leading from the trailer park to Elmwood, now the property of Fremont Township. Ramona Triebold made a motion to pursue taking possession of the easement presently owned by Fremont Township between the trailer park and Elmwood. Dina seconded the motion and it passed.
Radu Roman received two quotes in regards to the reinstallation of our OTIA street signs. Both quotes included the cost of the posts, both wolmanized and cedar, hardware, and the cost of installation. The quote from Dave Garcia was $3,283 and the quote from Mailboxes and Flag Co. was $2,643.08. Radu is currently still waiting for one last quote before making a recommendation to the board for further action. The question of the depth that each post would need to be sunk was raised. More information will be sought and the issue was tabled until the June meeting of the board.
Jim Loring pursued bids from three different companies regarding the necessary maintenance of the parks in Oak Terrace. This would include the controlled burn needed to control invasive species and encourage new growth. It also includes the cost of necessary spraying in the parks four times a year. The bids came in as follows:
Tall Grass $8,336
Integrated Lakes Management$5,512
Encap $10,364
These bids also include the cost to remove the concrete from the wetlands at Hansen Park. As it is now too late for burns this spring, we will need to have them done at a later date per our agreement for the grant that allowed the planting of the raingardens and wetland restoration. Jim Loring made a motion to accept the bid from ILM to perform the controlled burns at Hansen Park and the raingarden a the end of the channel on Willow at a cost of $1,200. Also to contract them to perform the maintenance on the three parks four times at the cost of $1,365 per year. Dan Griffin seconded the motion and it passed.
Jim Loring made a motion to allow the spending of up to $600 to the have concrete debris removed from Hansen Park wetlands by ILM. Dan Griffin seconded and the motion passed.
There was some question as to whether a vehicle was driven through Lakeview Park and caused damage to the raingarden there. More investigation will be needed to determine the source.
MPRD has informed the OTIA that it will cost approximately $1,500 to treat our portion of the lake. This estimate is below the amount budgeted for this process. Margaret Resnick of the MPRD has told Greg that she will inform him of the date and time of the treatment so that he is available to witness the process.
Three no wake buoys will be installed off Lakeview Park and the OTIA will be billed when the job is completed.
Dan Griffin presented to the board a plan to begin planting trees in our parks. He informed us that three swamp white oaks will be planted along the Elmwood side of Hansen Park. The cost of this process is $1,463. The job will be done by the Country Bumpkin on Friday, May 3, 2013. We will also be purchasing three small (5 gallon) swamp white oaks for planting along the wetland area of Hansen Park. The swamp white oaks were chosen as they thrive in wet soil conditions. We will also purchase a small red oak for the triangle at the corner of Lakeview, Hickory, and Elmwood.
The phone at the beach was checked and is in working order.
Member Joe Fedro addressed the board with concerns about the flooding of the several properties during the recent stormy weather. He reports that these flooding problems have been ongoing for over 15 years and believes that they are made worse by the fact that the drain pipe located at the MPRD Public Beach is not being maintained appropriately. He feels that the district is not doing all that they can to alleviate this problem. He and member Dave Gnadt have gone to clear the drain cover several times over the years. They have addressed the MPRD several times to no avail. Mr. Fedro is planning to write a petition and circulate it to garner support for his request to force the park district to change the drain cover to one more effective at clearing debris and maintaining the drainpipe appropriately. Joe shared that his research shows that our riparian rights are being infringed. Some concern was expressed by board members that living on a flood plain may make us more likely to deal with these issues and that these steps may not protect Oak Terrace from future flooding, but as a board we did feel that we could support Joe’s efforts to ask the MPRD to consider making the changes suggested.
Ramona Triebold reported that her neighbor wants to know how to get a fob for access to the beach. The necessary forms are on the website and may be accessed by any member.
Greg Denny brought up the need for us to pursue the possibility of hiring an accounting firm to handle our treasury duties. He reported that many firms deal exclusively with homeowners groups and would be a good fit for our purposes. More information is needed before a decision can be made.
Frank Cirrincione brought up the issue of seeking ways to beautify and make more user friendly Lakeview Park. We would need to deal with the dilapidated ramp system for access to the park and add some structures to make it a property more available for our residents to enjoy. Dina mentioned that her neighbor was a landscape architect and she would inquire as to the possibility of his helping us come up with a plan.
Spring cleanup will be Saturday, May 11th beginning at 9:00am at Hansen Park. We will have plugs for planting in the park and another group will be dispatched to the streets of the subdivision for cleanup purposes. Visibility safety vests will be requested from Bill Grinnell for our protection.
It was decided we would designate May 17, 18, 19 and July 19,20,21 as community garage sale dates. Dina will get the signs posted and she can be contacted for more information.
There being no further business, as motion to adjourn was made by Jim Loring and seconded by Frank Cirrincione. The motion passed and the meeting adjourned at 9:13 pm.
Respectfully submitted by Colleen Hodges
OTIA Secretary
