The Hidden Lake Volume 9 Issue 1 Spring 2015 A Message from Marty Hello again Hidden Lakers, Spring is a time to reflect on the past winter and one that had 2 snow falls and one unexpected and unplanned ice storm that left many of us hostage in our homes for several days. Roads and driveways were un-drivable and our outside help was restricted in helping most of us due to the ice. Living in the mountains as we do we must reminder we have no control over the weather and what it might bring. Please be prepared and expect the unexpected. As nice weather has arrived at Hidden Lake, I want to thank all of you that participated in the spring cleanup held in late April. As we look forward to summer time and the extremely dry conditions, we all need to be respectful of having any outside campfires or fires. Please refer to sections 29 & 30 of the Hidden Lake Subdivision Covenants and Restrictions that can be found at www.hiddenlakepoa.com. It is nice to see all the activity on sales of property and existing homes over the past several months. With that said, come the loss of good neighbors such as Bill and Cheri Schumacher. I want to thank them for everything they have done while living here in Hidden Lake and want to wish them well in Florida. The annual POA meeting is scheduled for 1PM Saturday, June 20 th - Social Hall at the Dysartsville Baptist Church - at the corner of NC226 and Club House Rd. We will be electing two new board members to fill the outgoing Terre Colabella and Roger Warren. Roger will still be retained as Treasurer. If you would like to be considered for a position please contact Pat Grandelli, Vice President at grandellipr@gmail.com. Hope to see you at the annual meeting and let s make Hidden Lake a Great Place to Live. Marty Martin, President
Opportunities, Opportunities All of us are very fortunate to live in such a beautiful area and community. Hidden Lake has a Property Owners Association (POA) to ensure our neighborhood remains the beautiful place we all love. Responsibilities of the POA include ensuring the entrance, community roads, pool, and various common areas are maintained. This is accomplished through various committees and a Board of Directors consisting of Hidden Lake property owners. This year there are 2 positions on the Board of Directors becoming vacant. This is a wonderful opportunity to become involved in decisions concerning our community. The Board of Directors meets every other month to review committee reports and POA budget. Anyone interested in becoming a member of the board is encouraged to contact me, Pat Grandelli, Vice-President grandellipr@gmail.com. Do s and Don ts at Hidden Lake Do pick up after your pets. Do not exceed the Hidden Lake speed limits. Do obey traffic signs. Do not forget to send in your Proxy. Do fish in the lake (catch and release).. Do not miss the Memorial Day Cookout. Do pick up any litter you see. Do not forget to RSVP to Cindy McLeod. Do enjoy the community. Springtime at Hidden Lake Property Owners Association Officers President Marty Martin martinmandd@hotmail.com Vice-President Pat Grandelli grandellipr@gmail.com Secretary Sandi Maki sandi.l.maki53@gamil.com Treasurer Roger Warren rogerdwarren@gmail.com Member-at-Large Terre Colabella moon23star@hotmail.com Committees ARC Roger Warren rogerdwarren@gmail.com Pool Suzanne Reiersen suzieanne_2000@yahoo.com Roads and Parks Warren Zibelin zebtoo@aol.com Welcoming Theresa Carr HiddenLakeRentals@gmail.com Communication Open 2
Treasurer Report Financially speaking, 2014 ended up pretty much on target and for the first quarter of 2015, the same looks to be true. The one significant exception for 2014 is Roadside Maintenance which was under budget by almost $2,400 due to no need for snow removal during 2014. This line item should be much closer to budget for the full year of 2015 since we have had two major storms requiring roads to be plowed or salted already this year. Twenty two owners did not pay their 2014 dues by the January 31 deadline. At the end of December there were still five owners who had not paid their 2014 dues and four of them owed more than one year s dues. So far in 2015, the pattern is similar twenty did not pay 2015 dues by the deadline and by the end of March, twelve were outstanding, including three that owed more than one year. In the last Newsletter I wrote about the activities the Treasurer performs during the year. In this issue I would like to address an issue that causes a significant amount extra work. As outlined above, a small number of owners (about 15%) are not paying their dues on time. When this happens, the Treasurer has to create invoices for Late Fees and Account Statements for each owner in arrears, each month, until the amounts have been paid. Since there are a few owners that have not paid their dues for more than one year, this extra work is needed every month. For those in arears, please contact the Treasurer to arrange for making partial payments to work down the amount owed. Welcoming Committee We are happy to announce the following new property owners have purchased homes here since our last newsletter. The foreclosure home on Jill Drive was purchased by Parker and Rachel Schopbach. They were previously living in the Marion area, and are now full time residents. We welcome them and look forward to seeing them around the community! Another bank-owned property at 105 Shoal Creek Trail has been purchased by Peter and Silvia Brust from the Charlotte area. This will be a vacation home for them. There are currently 2 homes under contract, so hopefully by our next newsletter, we will have some more new owners calling Hidden Lake home! Please say hello if you see them out and about! Theresa Carr, Chairwoman Roger Warren, Treasurer 3
Roads and Parks Committee Thank you to those that participated in the 2015 Hidden Lake Spring Clean Up Day As with previous years, I am sure all participants enjoyed working with their neighbors and friends to spruce up the common areas of our community. One of the work projects was to plant Spring flowers in the beds that have already been established at a few of the street corners. There were a few bushes and shrubs that had succumbed to the cold weather and were replaced. Marty and Eileen Rusterholz, had agreed to obtain the needed plants. Another project was to clean and remove the cover that was placed over the pool this past Fall, install the pool ladders as well as clean and place the pool furniture after sweeping the pool area. A third project was to clean up the Shoal Creek Park from fallen limbs, trim overhanging branches and rake up debris. There were four wooden picnic tables, one small wooden bridge and a wooden trash can holder that needed spraying down with deck cleaner and power washing. They will be stained later. Keeping the Hidden Lake Community in tip top shape is more than a one day event. It truly takes a year round effort. While our landscape contractor works to keep the parks and roadsides looking good, our owners also need to keep their personal property in good order. Weeds and lawns need to be kept under control; shrubs need to be trimmed periodically; and dead, damaged or otherwise dangerous trees need to be removed the list goes on and on. If you live away from Hidden Lake, where you cannot maintain your property in person or if you are not able or not inclined to cut the lawn, etc., there are contractors that provide landscape services. Check the Classified Advertisements sent with this Newsletter. It takes all the owners to keep Hidden Lake looking like the place we all fell in love with when we bought our property. Together we can do it. If there are any questions or suggestions, please give me, Zeb, a call or send an email. Any and all are welcome. H: 828 652 2185 C: 828 334 6793 Email: Zebtoo@AOL.Com Warren (Zeb) Zibelin, Chairman Roger Warren, Committee Member 4
Architectural Review Committee The ARC has received several Architectural Review Applications in the last six months. Two of the applications were for major projects: Bo Cash requested permission to build a detached garage/storage/work shop building on Double Eagle; and Cindy and Max McLeod requested permission to build an addition to their cabin on Shoal Creek. Several smaller projects were also considered and approved by the ARC and the Board: Koreen and Rick Marx constructed a fence around a portion of their back and side yard to contain their dog; the Marx also built a ground level deck off the back of their house. The ARC and Board approved all these applications. Also in the time since the last newsletter, the ARC and Board were approached and they indicated they would approve a 10 foot setback variance for John and Wanda Conway to build house on their Double Eagle lot if that variance were part of an Architectural Review Application for that project. No application has been received. Roger Warren, Chairman Annual Meeting As mentioned earlier by our president, don t forget to mark your calendars for the Annual Property Owners Association Meeting on Saturday, June 20, 2015. It s at 1:00 p.m. at the same location as the past five years in the Social Hall at the Dysartsville Baptist Church at the corner of NC226 and Club House Road. (Club House Road is about a 200 yards north of Vein Mountain Road.) You will be receiving your Proxy in mid-may for voting in the election of two directors running for 3-year terms on the Board of Directors. We need to have a 50% quorum (owners in attendance plus owners voting by proxy) to hold the meeting, so every proxy is important. Even if you plan on attending the meeting, please return your proxy. If you attend the meeting and wish to change your vote, you can do that at the meeting. We are looking forward to seeing some new faces at the meeting. Check out the Hidden Lake website anytime at www.hiddenlakepoa.com All the current information about your community in one location. 5
October 2104 December 2014 Hidden Lake POA Board Meeting Minutes Hidden Lake POA of McDowell County Meeting Minutes October 24, 2014 Location, Date & Time: Home of Marty Martin, October 24, 2014 at 7:15 p.m. Board Members Present: Marty Martin, Pat Grandelli, Terre Colabella and Roger Warren Board Members Absent: Sandi Maki Property Owners Present: None Quorum Met? Yes Meeting Called to Order by President Marty Martin Minutes for the August 8 meeting were sent to board members for review and approval at the end of September. All responded with their approval and the minutes published on the website. There was no meeting in September. President Marty outlined the problem with beavers in the lake and Terre gave an update, stating that two juvenile beavers were removed by the USDA Wildlife Services. A drainage problem on Mentink near the William s driveway and extending toward Shoal Creek was discussed. The problem stems from the way the original road was installed with no drainage ditch many years before Hidden Lake owned the property. Roads and Parks will work with Jimmy Burleson to propose a solution. Also discussed was the area being washed out near the front gate every time there is a heavy rain. Roger mentioned that Rick Marx placed rip rap in the washed out area where smaller stones had been used previously. Roads and Parks will monitor how the rip rap works. Marty stated that Jim Tyner had found and used a pool cleaner to remove the built up stains on the pool steps and sides prior to the pool closing. Treasurer Roger Warren asked for questions on the Financial Statements from August and September, 2014, which had been e-mailed to all members. Terre moved and Marty seconded to approve the August, 2014 statements, all voted yes. Terre moved and Pat seconded to approve the September, 2014 statements and all voted yes. Roger explained to the new members of the board the 5% limit on increasing POA dues from one year to the next. Roger moved to set dues for 2015 at $275 (which is about a 4% increase), Terre seconded and all voted yes. Terre expressed the need for having a manual for the Treasurer s tasks. After discussion it was decided there was also a need for manuals for Roads & Parks and Pool Committee tasks. Treasurer s Summary General Fund Financial Report September 2014 YTD September 2014 Expenses Pool $1,111 $7,886 Electricity 306 1,855 Roadside Maintenance 1,343 12,229 Administrative 0 1,632 Insurance 0 2,092 Committees 80 879 6
Gate Maintenance 0 35 All Other 0 82 Total Expense $2,840 $26,690 Income Dues and Late Fees $0 $45,906 Net Income (Expense) -$2,840 $19,216 Pool Committee The pool was closed with the help of volunteers. No problems were encountered. Communication Committee Roger reported that Pat Grandelli has replaced Sandi Maki as the liaison to the Communication Committee and that the position of Chairman is open and will not be filled at this time. The Fall 2014 newsletter will be e-mailed at the end of the month. Newsletter editor, Ron DeYoung, has worked for over a month developing a list of valid e-mail addresses. Even with this effort, there are some owners that have not responded to his requests for information. Also being emailed along with the newsletter will be a separate document with both an updated Hidden Lake Directory and the Ad Section which had previously been included in the newsletter. Welcoming Committee Terre reported visiting the following new residents: Mickey Garvin (husband Jeff was not home), who are in the process of purchasing the Eslinger house on Nathan McDaniel Dee Legge, new owner of the Davis house, also on Nathan McDaniel. Terre noted that Dee s husband died in April, shortly after purchasing the house. Dee s daughter, Ginger, is living with Dee while they sort out their situation. Koreen and Rick Marx, new owners of 210 Hidden Lake Parkway, previously owned by Michele Hoheiser and John Tveter. ARC Roger reported no activity since the last board meeting. Roads & Parks Committee Roger Warren reported that Warren Zibelin is the new Chairman and will be the contact for road and gate issues. Roger will continue to be the contact for roadside landscaping, snow removal and tree trimming and removal. Roger reported that Warren Zibelin has been in contact with Jimmy Burleson to have the gravel roads graded, but Burleson has been hard to pin down on when the work will be done. The board indicated they would be supportive of finding a new contractor for road repairs if Burleson s reliability continues to be an issue. Marty suggested an alternative for Burleson might be Ron English, who he has used with good results. (Subsequent to the meeting, Burleson finally came to see the work needed and indicated he would do the grading in the first week of November). The topic of paving the fairly steep uphill part of Jon s Forrest near the back gate, which was discussed at the last meeting, was reintroduced. Roger moved that we have Jimmy Burleson pave approximately 200 feet of Jon s Forrest at the estimated cost of $6,000, Pat seconded, all voted yes. The fence around the pool needs to be cleaned and stained. The extent of the work needed and the difficult terrain were discussed in light of the age and number of 7
volunteers that would be needed for the job. Roger moved that we contract the work to stain the fence, Pat seconded and all voted yes. Roger discussed the need to clean out the built-up silt and debris in the roadside ditches. Roger moved we contract the cleaning of the roadside ditches, Pat seconded and all voted yes. Terre reported that the timing of lights needed to be adjusted to come on earlier and stay on until midnight. Roads and Parks will adjust the timers. Roger asked the board how often the gate codes for owners and renters should be changed. Unless there is an indication of problems, it was agreed the codes should be changed twice a year in coordination with the timing of the newsletter. Other Business The date and place for the next meeting is Friday, December 19 at Pat Grandelli s home at 7:00 p.m. There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 9:10 p.m. Hidden Lake POA of McDowell County Meeting Minutes December 19, 2014 Location, Date & Time: Pat Grandelli s, December 19, 2014 at 7:00 p.m. Board Members Present: Marty Martin, Pat Grandelli, Terre Colabella, Roger Warren, Sandi Maki (phone) Board Members Absent: None Property Owners Present: None Quorum Met? Yes Meeting Called to Order by Marty Martin at 7:11 President Christmas party was a success this year and there were more than enough deserts Old Business Roger took minutes from the October 24th meeting Minutes were approved by the board members and set to Ron for updating to the website Terre stated that the new owners, Rick and Koreen Marx adjusting well to the neighborhood and their new home. They have begun helping out with the food pantry and Koreen s furniture refinishing business is doing well. Joyce has purchased a townhouse in Texas and is doing well. Treasurer Roger reported he sent out the October/November financials for review and approval Roger moved to approve the October financials, Terre seconded, board members approved Roger moved to approve the November financials, Pat seconded, board members approved Roger reported there are currently 3 delinquent accounts for POA annual dues. One account is $2,000.00, the other two are approximately $1,500.00. The collection agency working the accounts reported that 1 person is paying towards balance, the other two have not responded to the agency s requests for payment. We will try to obtain payment when the properties are sold. 8
Pool Committee No report ARC Roger reported that 2 applications have been received. One request from Bo Cash was to build a large garage which has been approved by the board and is starting construction Rick and Koreen requested to construct a fence for their dog in their backyard. The request was approved and fence has been installed. One of the owners is having trouble keeping their dogs constrained inside an invisible fence. Marty recommended a letter be written by the board stating the concerns, and what the next steps would be should the owner not rectify the situation. Roger will review the Covenants for statements addressing this issue. Roger reported the beavers are back at the lake and would call the person that handled them previously. Roads and Parks The vendor has put down gravel in Phase 5. Mentink is being graded to allow proper drainage. The board approved paving at Jon s Forest and Mentink for $6,000.00. The contractor has not completed the work as yet, so other contractors will be contacted for additional estimates. Welcome and Communications Ron has received feedback on the newsletter, some people have complained about the font size used for the Directory. Other Business Roger mentioned the cloud version of QuickBooks, but said it has issues and does not recommend moving to this version. Terre stated that another person should learn what Roger does in QuickBooks for our financials, Sandi Maki volunteered to work with Roger to learn how to do the financials. Roger and Sandi to meet sometime between 12/24 and 12/28 to do training. Terre requested a master vendor POC list. Next Meeting The next POA Board meeting will be held 2/13/15, at 7pm at Sandi Maki s house. There being no further business, Marty moved to close the meeting and Terre seconded. Meeting adjourned at 8:35 pm. Hidden Lake POA of McDowell County Meeting Minutes February and April 2015 The Hidden Lake Meeting Minutes for February 2015 and April 2015 have not been made available. 9
Hidden Lake Owner Directory and Classified Advertisements Included in the mailing of this Newsletter is the latest version of the Hidden Lake Owner Directory. The format has been changed to a larger format to make it easier to read. Please review your information and let us know at hiddenlakepoa@gmail.com if any of the information is incorrect or if there is information missing that you would like to share with your neighbors. If you have comments about the Directory, please address them to the same email address. Also included in the mailing of this Newsletter is the Classified Advertisements Section of the Newsletter. The ads in this section are for contractors that perform services for owners in our community. When you need a contractor, please check the Classified Ad Section. Back Emergency Gate We continue to experience some issues with unauthorized vehicles using the back Emergency Only gate. This gate is for use ONLY by those home owners on Mentink Drive, which are not part of Hidden Lake. Should an emergency ever arise, we can certainly open the gate for everyone's use. What is causing this issue are the mapping websites and GPS units such as: Google Maps, MapQuest, Garmin, TomTom, etc. Anytime someone inputs an address that is in the back part of our community closer to the back gate, these sites map out directions using that gate as the shortest route to those homes. They do not recognize the fact that folks are crossing over private property to reach it. This has become somewhat of a nuisance to the owner who is having more traffic on his road. We would ask everyone to advise any contractors, repairmen, deliverymen, realtors, renters, friends and guests to use ONLY the main entrance. If these persons are not specifically told this, once they input the address into their GPS units, they are taken past the main gate. They are thinking it's fine to go that way, when in fact it is not. We appreciate your assistance in this matter! 10
New Gate Codes As we have done numerous times in the past, the Renter/Guests and Owner entry codes for the gates in the community are being changed. By the time you get this newsletter, the new codes will have been added to the gates so you can start using them immediately. At the end of May the old codes will be removed. The new code for OWNERS will be only.. Please, do NOT give this code to anyone. It is for owners The new code for RENTERS and YOUR GUESTS will be. Please do not give this code to contractors, workers, delivery people, etc. it is for your renters and your guests only. The code for CONTRACTORS, WORKERS, DELIVERY PEOPLE, REALTORS, etc., will remain the same. The code is and it only opens the Service Gate. The FRONT GATE is LOCKED 24/7. Enter by the Access Code or Remote Only! Spring is a good time to check your vehicles to make sure you have the Hidden Lake resident sticker in the top center of the windshield. The sticker does not belong on the bumper, nor on the left or right side of the windshield, but in the top center of the front glass. Golf carts and ATVs must also have a sticker in the same location. Contact Theresa Carr for a sticker. Gate Remote Purchase - $35 Call Theresa Carr 828 460-8252 ALL OWNERS, RENTERS & GUESTS MUST DISPLAY THE STICKER OR HANG TAG ON ALL VEHICLES INCLUDING GOLF CARTS. Please inform your rental agents of this rule. Extra stickers and hang tags are available through Theresa Carr. HiddenLakeRentals@gmail.com 11
IN CASE of EMERGENCY The In Case of Emergency (ICE) card was created for your safety as well as the safety of your property. In the event that you or someone in your party has an emergency while at Hidden Lake, or if damage occurs to your property while you are away, it is important to know who to contact. This information will be used only in the event of an emergency. If you would like to be added to the list, please complete the information below. Please do it today.. In Case Of Emergency 1. Your name 2. H L Address Other Address 3. Your phone number/s a. home b. cell#1 cell#2 4. Emergency contact person's name a. phone number b. relationship 5. Second Emergency contact person's name a. phone number b. relationship 6. Optional: If you have a cabin, please include location of extra key, or name of person who has access to your cabin. Submit to: Theresa Carr HiddenLakeRentals@gmail.com 12
Tips for the Home We all should know that pressing the test button on each smoke detector in the house should be done monthly along with dusting the unit. Changing the backup batteries in the smoke detectors should be done at least once a year. Did you know that the smoke alarm units themselves should be replaced at least every 7 to 10 years? If the smoke detector also inspects for carbon monoxide it should be replaced every five years. Other than dust, hair and grease building up inside the unit, there is a filament sensor that tends to deteriorate over time which could cause the unit to give off a few second delayed signals. In an emergency, every second counts. As some of our homes get older, replacement of smoke detectors should be on the to-do list. Hardware and big box stores sell replacement smoke detectors. Just unplug the old unit and install the new one. Did you see on the news a few month ago about the house that exploded in the Northeast and another in the Midwest? It was not because of a gas leak or drugs being made, but due to the hot water tank exploding.like a missile in the house. There is a safety valve on the outside of the hot water tank that should be tested (pressed) every six months to be sure the valve is working property. Heat causes pressure to build up in the hot water tank and the valves allows the pressure to relieve itself. If the valve is not working properly when the heat builds up, the hot water tank can explode most likely straight up. Now is a good time to check the safety valve on your hot water tank. 13
When: Saturday, May 23, 2015 Time: 6:00 p.m. Hidden Lake Property Owners and Their Invited Guests Annual Memorial Day Weekend Cookout Good food, good music and meet your neighbors! Join the fun! You'll be glad you did! Place: Home of Ken and Sylvia Watts Corner of Hidden Lake Pkwy and (#39) Nathan McDaniel Pkwy Menu: Fried Flounder and Grilled Chicken What to bring: Dish to pass (If bringing extended family or friends, please contribute an extra dish) BYOB - Bring beverage of your choice Lawn chairs PLEASE RSVP by May 20th to Cindy McLeod Email: cindermakesthree@aol.com OR Call: 704-542-3325 (Phone number with answering machine) Also, please also let Cindy know what side dish you may bring, if possible. Your hosts: Max & Cindy McLeod and Ken & Sylvia Watts We are looking forward to being with you! 14
Buy Sell Trade The Market Place Items For Sale Books for children (4-8) and adults. Written by Hidden Lake resident Sandra Warren. 828-652-3973 Items wanted to buy Troy-Bilt 2600 PSI Pressure Washer. Honda 5 HP engine. Was new in 2008. Purchased from previous home owner. Pneumatic tires. Manual and everything present. Will refund money if not satisfied. $150 275 Double Eagle Drive Bo Cash 828-764-3329 Garden tiller Prefer rear-tine 275 Double Eagle Drive Bo Cash 828-764-3329 Hidden Lake Lots For Sale by Owner 2+/- acre lot on Stewart Drive. Willing to sell way below list price. No reasonable offer will be refused. 828-713-1714 Cabin Services HIDDEN LAKE PROPERTY MANAGEMENT can handle listing your property, renting out your property, and even maintaining it while you are away. Reasonable rates, Personalized service. Call Theresa at 828-460-8252, or check us out online at: www.hiddenlakerentals.com Disclaimer. The newsletter editor, as well as the Board, will not be responsible for the ad, the items, or anything associated with the ad. This is intended to be a free communication link for property owners in Hidden Lake only. 15