October '09 Minutes: Marbella Board Meeting

[Unofficial minutes until approved at the next Board meeting.]

Oaks North Marbella Homeowners Association

BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING

October 21, 2009

The Board of Directors Meeting of the Oaks North Marbella Homeowners Association was held on Wednesday, October 21, 2009 at the Oaks North Community Center, pursuant to the notice thereof sent to all Board members. It was determined that a quorum was present and the meeting was called to order by the President, Karen Wiley at 10:00 a.m.

Directors present: Karen Wiley, Larry Allen, Maurice Nahum, Jim Coote, and Marilyn Tipler.

Also present: Frances Peterson, Keith Dickerson, Nancy Paris, Marilyn Ellis, Mary Ann Tanner, Carol Brinkley, Tom Cook, Dorothy Meyer, Chon Campillo (US Lawns), and Wendy DeVuyst.

MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING

A motion was duly made by Larry Allen and seconded by Marilyn Tipler to approve the minutes of the previous meeting of 9/16/09 as written. Motion carried.

MEMBER PARTICIPATION

A. Frances Peterson (13055 Ave. Marbella) was here with regard to her letter requesting removal of two Eucalyptus trees behind her home as they are diseased. She would like to have them removed at her expense. The Board will refer this to the Landscape Committee to review and make recommendations to the Board for possible action.

COMMITTEE REPORTS:

A. Maintenance … Karen Wiley

• Punch List Items – A new list of items was given to US Lawns. All items from last month were done. The lawns are not to be mowed this week. They will trim around the sprinkler heads and rake leaves. Entry color is again needed. The cost will be about $100. A motion was duly made by Marilyn Tipler and seconded by Jim Coote to approve up to $100 for entry color. Motion carried.
• Removal of Two Eucalyptus Trees - We removed 2 trees on 9/23/09 as previously approved.
• MP Rotator Sprinklers – Larry Allen said that these new sprinklers are supposed to be very good for our system as they work well where there is low water pressure. We will defer action until the Landscape Committee can review.
• The Landscape Committee is talking with the Winery about using some of their well water to water a section of our area along Paseo del Verano Norte. The Board said they have no objection to the committee looking into this matter further.
• The wooden fence by the Winery has two sections that are starting to fall down. The Board members will review to see if this fence is still needed or if it should be removed.
• Information was received about grant programs for the Smart Controllers.
• Status of Entry Lighting – Jim Coote reported that all the lights are on.

B. Communications/Newsletter –The next newsletter will go out in November with the budget. We will republish the article on street cracks with correct phone number. Discussion on other articles to include.

C. Long Range Planning Committee

• Relandscape Plan for Greenbelt – This has been tabled at this time.

D. Nominating Committee Report – Marilyn Tipler reported that John Ellis, Marilyn Ellis and Larry Allen submitted their names as candidates and are listed on the ballot. The ballots were mailed out and are due back by 11/4/09.

E. Landscape Committee Report – All the members of the committee were present. As requested by the Board, the committee solicited bids and met with contractors for the landscape maintenance contract. They received 3 bids for the work and are recommending we go with Benchmark Landscape at $3,302 per month. They are a large company and we have checked their references. All have checked out very good.

• Ed Drobnicki, Branch Manager, and Tom Tuba, Account Manager, of Benchmark Landscape made a presentation to the Board on their proposal. They walked the common area and discussed the problems with the greenbelt. They want to make a detailed evaluation of the entire irrigation system to determine where the problems are before they can make any recommendations. They will do this at no charge if we accept their proposal. They will bring in the manufacturer of the sprinklers (Hunter), if necessary, to assist in the evaluation. They are certified water consultants. Tom Tuba would be our account manager and would oversee the field supervisor (who will be on the project weekly), then the working foreman and the crew. They would probably be on the project twice a week. Discussion on work to be done. Larry Allen asked if all employees are checked to make sure they are all legal residents. Benchmark said they pre-screen all employees to meet the federal regulations. Fertilizers and herbicides are included in the contract. They also include two pre-emergents a year and one aeration of the turf each year. They would provide advance notice of any use of pesticides. They sub out pest control work for extensive gopher problems ($195 a month for twice a month visit). Entry color is not included in the contract. Any emergencies after hours they provide an emergency contact. They state that our current rotator heads would qualify with the City regulations to allow us to water longer times. Discussion on use of the Smart Controllers. The Board thanked them for attending.

CORRESPONDENCE

A. A letter dated 9/17/09 was received from Marilyn Ellis submitting her name and biographical sketch for the Board elections.

B. A letter dated 9/17/09 was received from John Ellis submitting his name and biographical sketch for the Board elections.

C. A reply letter dated 9/18/09 was sent to John Ellis regarding his request for a copy of the member list. He was asked to state his purpose for this request. A reply letter dated 9/21/09 was received stating that the purpose of his request was to send letters to the owners relating to matters of interest to owners of Lots such as landscape maintenance of the Greenbelt and the Board elections. A copy of the member list was sent to Mr. Ellis on 9/24/09.

D. A reply letter dated 9/23/09 was sent to the 7 owners who had written to the Board last month regarding the greenbelt.

E. A letter dated 9/23/09 was received from an owner complaining about 4 cats allowed to roam free at 18215 Corte de Casares. She has talked to the owner, but to no avail. She is asking the Board to take action.

F. A letter dated 10/2/09 was sent to 43 owners in Marbella asking them to address issues involving the maintenance of their mailbox and/or mailbox post.

G. A letter dated 10/16/09 was received from Frances Peterson (13055 Avenida Marbella) asking for permission to have the two diseased Eucalyptus trees behind her home in the Common Area removed at her expense. This was referred to the Landscape Committee.

FINANCIAL REPORT … Maurice Nahum

A. Financial Statement - The statement ending 9/30/09 was reviewed and approved. We are about $13,370 under budget year-to-date. This is mostly due to water.

B. Delinquent Accounts – There are no delinquent accounts.

C. 2010 Budget - The proposed budget for 2010 was reviewed. A motion was duly made by Marilyn Tipler and seconded by Maurice Nahum to approve the 2010 budget as presented with no increase in the quarterly assessment. Motion carried.

UNFINISHED BUSINESS

A. Oaks North Community Center Architectural Review Committee (ONCC-ARC) – Karen Wiley reported that there is a request for a change to the garage door at 12699 Camino Ramillette, which will be brown in color. Nancy Paris (the owner) was present to discuss this matter. There was discussion on the trim color for around the garage door and the garage door hardware. The Board members have reviewed the proposal and no one had any objections. We will advise the ARC that we have no objection to this application. Ms. Wiley also reported that there have been a lot of applications recently for patio covers, painting and relandscaping in Marbella.

B. Mailbox Painting/Repairs - Marilyn Tipler reported that she made a list of addresses where work was needed on mailboxes or mailbox posts and we sent out 43 letters. There is a problem with a lot of mailboxes missing the house numbers. Discussion on locking mailboxes. The Board had previously researched this matter. Individual owners cannot install locking mailboxes and the cost to do it community wide would be prohibitive.

NEW BUSINESS

A. Complaint Letter RE: Cats at 18215 Corte de Casares – Karen Wiley has been working with the homeowner about this situation as this is a nuisance to the neighbors. They have kept the cats inside the past 3 weeks. The neighbors who complained seemed satisfied, so no further action will be taken.

B. The Board discussed the landscape contract recommendations. A motion was duly made by Marilyn Tipler and seconded by Maurice Nahum to terminate the contract with US Lawns, using the 30 day termination clause, and contract with Benchmark Landscape at $3202 per month, effective 11/23/09. Discussion. Motion carried.

With no further business to be brought before the Board, the meeting adjourned at 11:56 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Wendy DeVuyst, Recording Secretary

NEXT MEETING: Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2009 at 1 p.m. to count ballots. Followed by the Annual Meeting at 2 p.m.