MINUTES OF THE
BENTANA PARK COUNCIL OF CO-OWNERS
BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING
12052 North Shore Drive
Reston VA 20190
May 8, 2014
Board Members Present: David Brych President
Kathy Ray Vice President
Peter Weed Treasurer
Lyndsie Galizio Secretary
Board Members Absent: None
Others Present: Tracy Plazyk Horizon Community Services
David Ciccarelli Horizon Community Services
Karen Case Recording Secretary
I. Call to Order: Mr. Brych called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.
II. Approval of Agenda:
MOTION: Mr. Weed moved. Ms. Ray seconded, to approve the agenda as presented. The motion passed unanimously (4-0-0).
III. Owners Forum
There were no comments from homeowners.
IV. President’s Report
Mr. Brych said he went to every open house this weekend. All of the realtors commented on how nice the community looks and they were confident the escalation in property value is going to hold. Mr. Brych noted that Lyndsie Galizio, a homeowner, was present at the meeting. He said Ms. Galizio has volunteered to join the Board. Ms. Galizio spoke as to why she wants to join the Board and contribute to the community.
MOTION: Mr. Weed moved, Ms. Ray seconded, to appoint Lyndsie Galizio to the Board of Directors until the next annual meeting. The motion passed unanimously (4-0-0).
Mr. Brych said the Association is doing well in terms of finances and plans for going forward. The work on the curb wall, which needs to be done this season, is work the Board knew would have to be done.
V. Treasurer’s Report:
Mer. Weed said the finances look good. A couple of Cds matured for $200,000. He said the Association should reinvest those funds as long as there is adequate money in the money market to cover the paving work. Mr. Weed obtained some recommendations from Morgan Stanley. Their recommendation is to reinvest in CDs at the end of the ladder. Mr. Weed would like to take some time to look over the reserves before making a decision. He discussed the interest rates the Association is likely to get. Mr. Weed reviewed the general ledger. He asked Management for clarification on a few charges. Regarding the charge for off-site storage, Ms. Ray asked Management to find out how many boxes are older than ten years and what the cost of that is. Mr. Weed will follow up with the board with his final recommendations for reinvestment.
VI Secretary’s Report
MOTION: Mr. Brych moved, Mr. Weed seconded, to approve the February 18. 2014 Board meeting minutes as amended. The motion passed (3-0-1), with Ms. Galizio abstaining.
VI. Management Report
Doody Calls Proposal: Ms. Ray said Cutting Edge pointed out a number of pet waste stations need to be moved closer to the curb to prevent mud and erosion. Cutting Edge recommended setting them in concrete. A proposal from Cutting Edge is pending. Mr. Brych said the new Doody Calls proposals include larger waste baskets, larger bag dispensers, and removing pet waste on the ground.
MOTION: Mr. Weed moved, Ms. Ray seconded, to accept the electronic vote to approve two proposals from Doody Calls. The motion passed unanimously (4-0-0).
Dixie Electric Mr. Brych gave Ms. Galizio some history on the process of replacing the electrical boxes in the community. Ms. Plazyk provided a proposal from Dixie Electric and said they can start work on May 27th if the Board approves.
MOTION: Mr. Weed moved, Mr. Brych seconded, to approve the proposal from Dixie Electric for replacement of the electrical box at 1668 in the amount of $24,750. The motion passed unanimously (4-0-0).
Website Mr. Brych said the Board has talked about this for a long time and Management brought Association Voice to the Board’s attention. Mr. Brych said the question is how to move forward. He said Association Voice can provide a prototype that is 95% of what the Board wants and then changes can be made. There was a discussion about the cost and what types of information and services will be available on the website.
MOTION: Ms. Ray moved, Ms. Galizio seconded, to approve the proposal from Association Voice for a website. The motion passed unanimously (4-0-0).
Landscaping Proposals The Board discussed the proposals from Blade Runners. Ms. Ray discussed the proposed installation of stone walls at 1648, 1650, and 1652. She stated this work was previously approved using timber; however, it could not be nailed in because of the electrical wire and the irrigation system. It was determined the Association would have to use stone instead.
MOTION: Mr. Weed moved, Ms. Ray seconded, to approve the change to stone walls in the Blade Runners proposal. The motion passed unanimously (4-0-0).
The Board discussed two more proposals from Blade Runners. Ms. Ray indicated the proposal for tree work should go under tree maintenance, not landscaping, in the budget.
MOTION: Mr. Brych moved, Ms. Ray seconded, to approve three Blade Runners contracts for landscaping enhancements and tree replacement as presented by Management. The landscaping enhancements include ornamental block/mulch border at 1646, 1648, 1650, and 1652 at a cost of $8,338, and various enhancements at 1633, 1643, 1645, 1646, 1658, 1664, and 1669 at a cost of $17,816.35. The tree replacements are at 1621, 1635, 1648, and 1664 at a cost of $4,822.58. The motion passed unanimously (4-0-0).
Paving Ms. Plazyk asked Mr. Brych to initial the contract for paving and sealing that was previously approved by the Board. She said the contractor will put the work on their schedule. In the meantime, Ms. Plazyk has a walk through with the contractor on May 12th to amends the contract to include additional work recommended by the contractor.
Mr. Brych left the meeting at 7:47 p.m.
Benches. Ms. Plazyk provided a quote for benches. Ms. Ray proposed installing six benches and showed some suggested locations on the community map.
MOTION: Mr. Weed moved, Ms. Galizio seconded, that Ms. Ray and Ms. Galizio will identify locations for the benches then work up a proposal from Cutting Edge for installation and the Board will discuss it at the next Board meeting. The motion passed unanimously (3-0-0).
VIII New Business
Walk-Through Ms. Ray said she did a community walk-through with representatives from Horizon, Cutting Edge and Blade Runners on May 6th. She complimented Ms. Plazyk for noticing many areas for improvement around the community. Ms. Plazyk spoke to some areas for improvement including mismatched bricks where air conditioners were removed. She said the Board should think about replacing all of the brick and instituting a policy on replacing brick when modifications are done by homeowners. Ms. Ray has asked Ms. Plazyk to get an estimate from Cutting Edge to fix the ten worst areas of brick work. Ms. Plazyk said there are exposed holes to be filled and repairs needed on the gutters and downspouts. Cutting Edge will provide a quote for some repairs around the community. Mr. Weed asked if the leaves were removed from the gutters. Ms. Plazyk said she will look into it. Ms. Plazyk said she has requested an updated contract for the irrigation system. Ms. Ray said she would also like the contractor to provide a site plan of the irrigation system for the Association’s records.
Ms. Ray noted variation among units during the walk-through; some units were in perfect compliance while others looked pretty bad. She discussed some of the violations and said violation letters have been mailed to these units. Even after two or three notices, some homeowners had not corrected their violations. The Association will be removing the items in violation if the homeowner does not take care of it. Ms. Plazyk said Management is holding off on a few violations for items hanging from the balcony railings until there is clarification on the policy. Ms. Ray noted there are some old, deteriorating telephone boxes in the community, and she has asked Ms. Plazyk about them.
Ms. Ray said a homeowner has asked the Board to revisit installing a slide and swings for the kids. Ms. Plazyk will get a bid. Ms. Ray would like to do a walk-though inside the buildings as well. There is a problem with residents storing personal property under the stairwells. The Board discussed the parking policy. Ms. Plazyk recommended enforcing the parking policy again by having the homeowners get their parking permits up to date at the annual meeting. Ms. Ray said there will likely be more parking problems in the future as a result of the Metro line extending through Reston.
IX Adjournment
The Board agreed BY CONSENSUS to adjourn the Board meeting at 8:19 p.m.
END OF MAY MINUTES
These minutes have been transcribed from the official minutes by Peter Combes, who is alone responsible for the typos.