Oak Terrace Improvement Association
Minutes June 5, 2013
The meeting was called to order at 7:05pm by President Greg Denny. Board members present: Jim Loring, Gregg Zink, Dina Lepczynski, Al Johnsonbaugh, Radu Roman, William Yarbrough, Dan Griffin, Frank Cirrincione, Ramona Triebold, and Colleen Hodges. Members at large present: Ann and Ray Sipowitz, and Jody Matza.
Dina made a motion to dispense with the reading of the minutes. Jim Loring seconded the motion and the motion passed. Frank Cirrincione made a motion to accept the minutes. The motion was seconded by Dina Lepczynski and passed. William Yarbrough brought up a question as to whether we offered to lend our support, as a board, to efforts by Joe Fedro to get the MPRD to take appropriate measures for maintaining the drain located at the public beach on Diamond Lake Road. The board will discuss this further.
Dan Griffin gave the treasurer’s report. He reported that we had income in the amount of $2,378.95. Major expenses during this period included the purchase of a new laptop computer, printer, and virus protection totaling $774.04. Collections since January, 2013 have amounted to over $10,000. The total amount in all accounts as of June 5, 2013 is $33,656.09. The amount still owed to the OTIA is $34,224.66. A motion was made by Radu Roman to accept the treasurer’s report as read and it was seconded by Gregg Zink. The motion passed.
Greg Denny reported on the status of the CICA adoption. The declaration is filed and attached to all defined areas. He reiterated that non-discretionary by-laws will be difficult to change and the discretionary by-laws are those that we can amend in the same way we have changed by-laws in the past. Radu Roman stated that he felt our by-laws should be transparent for any member to see. The non-discretionary by-laws give the board the right to set dues and fees, contract for services, and make special assessments if necessary. Dina brought a question to the board regarding the sale of double/triple lots. She asked if the purchaser would be able to divide/join the lots. Greg Denny will contact our attorney, Julie, for answers to these questions.
Radu Roman reported that there had been no change in the status of the replacement of the street signs. Dave Frost was contacted regarding his interest in bidding on this job. He had no interest in this job. Dan Griffin made a motion that we accept the bid by Mailbox and Flag to install the signs at the cost of $2,643.08. Jim Loring seconded the motion and it passed. Radu will coordinate with the company for permits and J.U.L.I.E. services. He will also coordinate with Dan for payment terms.
Issues with the treatment of Diamond Lake for invasive species was discussed. The treatment was applied in May and we were not notified by MPRD. Greg Denny took a picture of a small sign posted by the person applying the treatment. This is not considered significant notification for the treatment. Greg wrote to the vendor questioning the notification and treatment. No response was given, to date, by the vendor. Greg will be following up on this matter with Margret Resnik at MPRD, who did state that they had the vendor back to treat areas by West Shore Park.
Three “NO WAKE” buoys were purchased for placement at Lakeview Park at about the six foot of water location. The buoys cost $105 each.
Tree planting took place at Hansen Park where 3 oaks were placed. Six trees are still waiting to be planted. Four white oaks will be placed along the wetland area at Hansen Park and two more trees, red oaks, to be planted in the triangle of land at the intersection of Elmwood, Lakeview, and Hickory Streets. Bill Grinnell will cover the cost of installing the split rail fence at this location. Bill will also dig the holes for the planting of the two trees. Ramona Triebold suggested that the fence be stained or painted after installation. The concensus was to allow the wood to weather naturally.
Ann Sipowicz stated that she believes we need another speed hump near her home, on Lakeview between Elmwood and Beach Park. Since the construction at the corner of Maple and Elmwood began, there has been an increase in traffic on this section of Lakeview by drivers trying to avoid trains. Greg Denny will discuss the possibility with Bill Grinnell.
William Yarbrough brought up the question of the board’s involvement with Joe Fedro’s petition and efforts to get MPRD to maintain the drain. After some discussion, Frank Cirrincione made a motion for the board to write a letter expressing our interest in protecting residents of OTIA from flooding contributed to by improper drain mantainance. (We will contact the attorney for appropriate wording and action.) The motion was seconded by William Yarbrough and passed with one dissenting vote cast by Jim Loring. Frank will communicate with Joe.
Jody Matza brought up the fact that MPRD has been filling in the lake for a long time. Over the years of filling in, the lake depth has shrunk three to four feet at the deepest points. This may be contributing to the flooding issues, also.
Radu Roman brought up the issue of cleaning the beach and park areas. He made a motion to allot $50-$80 a month for the cleaning up of debris in and around the waters by the parks. Jim Loring seconded the motion and it passed. Greg Denny stated that there are companies who specialize in this process and suggested asking the landscaper about this matter.
The raft needs to be installed at Beach Park. Last year Radu and Greg Denny did the installation. Dan Griffin and Radu volunteered to get the raft installed this year.
Greg Denny reported that the triangle of vacant property on Willow and the channel was being abused by people dumping landscape waste and trash on it. Radu suggested calling the county and letting them take care of the issue. Frank and Greg believe they know who is doing the dumping and will contact those residents and ask them to stop. The owners will also be contacted.
A discussion ensued about geese abatement. Ramona brought up using large cardboard cutouts as a possible solution and Dan Griffin stated that he thought strobe lights might help the situation. The board tabled the discussion until more information is available.
Ann Sipowicz brought up the possibility of using fobs, like those used for the beach gate, for the boat ramp. We will look into the idea.
Greg reported on his discussion with Bill Grinnell about the possibility of the OTIA gaining possession of the trail located between the trailer park and Elmwood. He said he would bring up the issue with his board. A public meeting will need to be held for this process.
William Yarbrough reported on his attendance at a community workshop. He shared the benefits that our subdivision would gain if we established a reserve account. They would include enhanced property values by making Oak Terrace more desirable to buyers and lenders, and better protection from liability. It was suggested that 10% of all income be an appropriate amount for a viable reserve account. This information will be considered during the board’s budget meeting for the next fiscal year.
Dina asked if the OTIA is notified of a sale in the subdivision. Dan reported that he is often contacted during a sale process, but it is not consistent. Greg Denny will ask our attorney about this issue.
Dina reported that Summerfest plans are moving along. A request for help will be placed in the Acorn with those interested asked to contact Dina.
A motion was made to adjourn the meeting by Jim Loring. It was seconded by Dina Lepczynski. The motion passed. The meeting adjourned at 9:19pm
Respectfully submitted-Colleen Hodges, Secretary OTIA
