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The
October 22, 2011 meeting of the Board of Directors was opened at 8:10 AM with
the Pledge of Allegiance. Excused was
Dan Braun. Also present were General
Manager, John Carney, and Max Watkins representing the Advisory Board. The
September minutes were reviewed and accepted with corrections on a motion by
Ted Couillou and seconded by Al Cucciniello. Treasurer’s
Report
– Dan Braun (as submitted to John Carney) Monthly Report as of September 30, 2011 WLE POA Cash in Bank Accounts Totaling:
$1,856,098.64 WLE POA Equity (Cash
Basis): $2,671,606.60 Dues Assessments Collection Rate (Cash
Basis): 97.5% on a Budget Year-to-Date Basis (excluding $54,577.00 in
pre-paids); $69,265.27 in cumulative annual prior dues (less than one year in
arrears); legal/collections not available at time of Treasurer’s Report. Significant individual line item actual-to-budget, cash-basis negative
variances from the annual budget as of September 30, 2011: · Due to the increased
price of motor and heating fuels, a total annual cumulative negative variance
of approximately $7,500 was realized across multiple departments (holding
steady for last three months). · Maintenance expense in
excess of $5,500 in Pools/Recreation, pertaining primarily to Beaver Pool. · Increased
frequency of water testing as mandated by the EPA resulted in an approximate
$10,800 excess cost. Studies and Projects: · Finance Committee reviewed
monthly financial statements and received clarification of questions. · As a result of the
recommendation of the Treasurer and members of the Finance Committee and the
decision of the BOD at the September 2011 meeting, the investment accounts of
the WLE POA (General Repair/Replacement Reserve, Special Assessment Reserve,
Contingency, Capital Improvement, and Recreation) have begun being transitioned
to Merrill Lynch/Bank of · Investigation has been
initiated as to the relative impacts of reducing the thermostat settings on the
supplemental heaters of the outdoor pools and the liquid solar cover additives
employed during the outdoor pool season. · Treasurer and Finance
Committee are conducting an ongoing investigation of alternative revenue sources
to assist in the funding of our community. General Manager’s
Report – John Carney 1. Budgets
– Department Heads are presently forwarding their operating budgets to the
office and we are putting together a draft budget for Dan Braun’s review when
he returns next week. For 2011 the expense budget is online, but we are still
lagging somewhat on current dues, we have seen some improvement the last couple
of weeks. 2. Drainage
work continues with some problem areas that we experience mostly with a lot
rain in short period of time. This year has been challenging with the amount of
rain we have received experiencing drainage problems in areas that were never a
problem in the past. 3. Health
Insurance premiums will be increasing 11% for 2012. We are currently working with a broker for
better quotes. The broker is pricing
premiums from three companies; we are currently with Blue Cross. 4. For
the Board’s review we have contacted five propane gas vendors for pricing of
the POA’s gas and possible discount for members. 5.
All paperwork has been
submitted to Merrill Lynch and Bank of America for changing our accounts. Further
discussed with the Board was the overall plan for 2012 to concentrate on
maintaining the infrastructure of WLE, keeping the roads in good shape, attention
to drainage issues, resurfacing of the tennis court area on Tennis Lane. Regarding
the propane vendor survey, it was discussed that among the five vendors
surveyed, there was only a 3-cent per gallon savings for the community tanks if
we switched to another vendor, which would necessitate having to have the
present tanks removed and another vendor’s tanks brought in, plus our current
vendor’s rates to property owners wishing to participate are the lowest. So the decision of the Board was to remain
with Locklin and put their community program into place. John will get
information out to the POA regarding what the program rates are so any
homeowners not currently with Locklin can determine if they want to switch, and
homeowners already with Locklin will know what their rate will be for this
heating season. Also discussed was the
option of purchasing our propane tanks outright and buying our propane from
whoever has the best price at the time we want to purchase, but the decision
was that the purchase cost per tank, and then the subsequent liability to WLE
and repair costs should there be a problem, was not worth the investment. Neighborhood
Watch – Peggy Kostyshyn Reinforced
at the September 24th meeting was the fact that it is okay for
builders to have only their names on any signs at a property under
construction, but phone numbers are not allowed. The Board feels there may be some violations
of that policy and Fran will be asked to recheck those locations. The
craft shop area has been cleaned and sanitized.
Neighborhood Watch will be on duty for Mischief Night. There will be a blood drive on December 17th. CDC Committee
– Peggy Kostyshyn There
were two letters submitted and one appearance before the Committee. The first letter was from a property owner
disputing a citation issued for parking in the marina without a WLE ID or guest
pass. After discovering the citation,
she went immediately to the office and obtained a pass. Several attempts were made to resolve the
ticket that were unsuccessful. The
decision of the Committee is although she remains in violation of the
regulation, the fine will be waived. The
second letter was from a property owner whose child admitted responsibility for
flipping over an outhouse on another property.
This property owner asked for a penalty of community service in lieu of
a fine. The decision of the Committee
was the violation stands and Rocky will determine and supervise community
service for the child. Lastly,
there was an appearance before the Committee of a property owner who received a
citation for not having a flag on his golf cart parked at the marina. The property owner admitted he knew the flag
was missing, but that he had spoken to Rocky about obtaining a new one prior to
being issued the citation, which Rocky confirmed. Since receiving the citation, the flag has
been replaced. The decision of the
Committee was to waive both the violation and the fine. Recreation
– Peggy Kostyshyn Recreation
now has three co-chairmen, Pat Mongalieri, Rachele Harmuth and Chuck Miller. Fall Festival cost was $600. Joe Mongalieri bought a popcorn machine. Jane Miller will be handling the Thursday
breakfasts. Rachele Harmuth has
scheduled a cookie exchange for December 9th. Volunteers are needed to help with the
Christmas lights. Children’s Halloween
party will be October 22nd.
Adults Halloween party will be October 29th. It
was recommended by the Board, and will be taken back to the Committee, that for
2012, tickets not be required for children’s events so that everyone can be
included and property owners will not have to be told a deadline for tickets
has passed and their children cannot attend.
It was also suggested that instead of trying to plan meals for a set
number of attendees with advance tickets, we just offer snacks instead and buy
enough to accommodate a reasonable turnout. For
next year’s Fall Festival, it was suggested by the Board that we not shut down
all the roads around Recreation
has requested that the purchase of an industrial ice machine be included in the
2012 budget. The Board will research the
cost of either a new or used one. Also
requested was approval of their 2012 budget, including payment of the Summer
Recreation Program Director. Motion made
and approval was unanimous. Building
Committee – Al Cucciniello The
Committee discussed that the Building Compliance Officer should be notified of
resales in WLE so that grandfathered situations, such as split-rail fencing,
can be rectified, and a letter of compliance can be given to the selling
property owner as part of an inspection process. The Board’s suggestion was instead of our own
inspection, to see if we can either require a copy of the home inspector’s
report that would be ordered anyway, which should show if items such as sump
pumps exist, or maybe even provide a WLE checklist of items to local home
inspectors that we want examined and reported on as part of their inspection
for a prospective purchaser. Also
suggested by the Board was that a reminder notice be included in the next
community bulletin to request that all property owners check to see that their
properties are in compliance with water meter and sump pump regulations. Also
discussed by the Committee were regulations regarding cutting down trees and
whether they needed to be revised or reinforced. At the suggestion of the Board, John Carney
will check with other surrounding communities to see what their tree policies
are. Also of concern to the Committee is
determining where water runoff is coming from and who is responsible. The Board discussed whether all new
construction should require an engineer’s plan be submitted showing where any
runoff would go. Fran will be asked to
determine the cost of such a plan, and further discussion was tabled until the
November meeting. Also
requested by the Committee for approval by the Board of Directors was the
appointment of Allan Kenny as a new member.
Approval was unanimous. Marina
– Al Cucciniello Docks
are being removed on time. Repairs to
the ramps are being done with screws instead of nails, as our rough terrain
causes the nails to pop, and steel sections are being extended to bypass some
wooden sections. Sewer &
Water – Ted Couillou The
treatment plant has been running well and the heavy rains have helped to locate
infiltration points. There are plans for
a retaining wall by the Water
system flows are up, with a few leaks detected, but nothing major. Brian met with Jim Lubuz from the DEP and
they went over the entire water system, as well as the new DEP mandates. Chlorine
levels will be higher than first thought and we are mandated to monitor
chlorine residuals at all wells every 15 minutes electronically. This information
will be sent back to the main treatment plant computer, which then runs
averages every hour. If we fail to meet
state compliances, we could be subject to fines. These new regulations are having big impacts
across the nation and some privately-owned systems are being sold due to both
increased cost and lack of personnel needed to meet the new requirements. Brian’s
crew has also been involved in some culvert replacement and the rip raping of
ditches at the intersection of Tomahawk and Reminder
to all property owners that it is time to renew your water line insurance. The
deadline is October 31st.
Turn off your water when leaving home for more than 24 hours, and
protect your water meter and plumbing with heat tape and/or heat over the
winter. Maintenance
– Ted Couillou Lots
of drainage work is being done. Walking
trails need clearing. The leaf removal
program for this year has now begun.
Property owners can dispose of leaves themselves by bringing them down
to the leaf drop area, but no plastic bags can be left there, so leaves must be
removed. If property owners wish the
community to pick up their leaves, the cost is $1.00 per bag and must be paid
for in advance at the office.
Consideration is being given to purchasing biodegradable paper bags for
next fall and making them available to property owners so that leaves can
remain bagged. Security
– Jerry LaStella There
was a call to Security regarding smoking in the Adult Lodge. John Carney will include in the next newsletter
a reminder that all facilities in our community are smoke free, including the
outdoor swimming pools. Rocky
has just recently added a new officer to his staff. Her name is Kerri O’Hara. The
speed control sign set up in our community for the past few months worked
well. Consideration is being given by
the Board to utilizing it again next year and the cost is being investigated. Advisory Board
– Max Watkins All
questions to the Advisory Board are being answered at the meetings, there is
nothing being forwarded to the Board of Directors at this time. Correspondence Letter
to the Board from a Property Owner was discussed and will be responded to by
Jerry Beskovoyne. Old Business Propane
Project – Done Cleanup
& Repair of Section 4 ( New Business
– None Motion to adjourn, Jerry LaStella.
Second, Al Cucciniello. Meeting
adjourned at 12:00 PM. The next meeting of the Board of Directors will be November 19th
at 8:00 AM. Respectfully submitted, Recording
Secretary
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