06/08/11 EM BIRCH BAY VILLAGE COMMUNITY CLUB ANNUAL MEETING MINUTES JUNE 1, 2012 NORTH BAY CHRIST THE KING CHURCH 4895 BIRCH BAY LYNDEN ROAD BLAINE, WA 98230 8:00PM ROLL CALL: Peter Winterfeld, President Harry Shearer, Vice President Ralph Falk, Treasurer Ken Davidson, Secretary Valery Anderson Terry Sullivan Also : Ken Hoffer, General Manager; Esther Matter, Office Manager; Wendy Blankenship, Office Assistant; Rachel Childers, Bookkeeper; Karla Foss, Groundskeeper; Jeff Weaver, Maintenance Supervisor. OPEN FORUM, HOMEOWNER S COMMENTS: 7:30PM Priscilla Ott, Div. 12C, Lot 108, questioned when and what the plans were for the greenbelt between Div. 12C and Div. 7. Some issues have come up since work started at the greenbelt a couple years ago; one is more standing water and wind, two is mud coming from the faucets, and three is that thieves used the greenbelt as a means of escape. o Ken Hoffer stated that the plans for the greenbelt were to add some drainage and then create a couple berms with some trees for aesthetic purposes. The timeline on that work is not certain. o Terry Sullivan mentioned that the drainage installed by the Village is not connected to the water system and therefore the mud issue should be a Birch Bay Water and Sewer problem. John Gilliland, Div. 2, Lot 35, started out by recognizing the committees and the work they do; also expressed his gratitude for the bulletin and the information provided therein, as well as his appreciation for the President s report on the front page. Harry Sharp, Div. 9, Lot 75, brought up the topic of investing Birch Bay Village funds in order to create more return on Village assets. He mentioned his success in investing his own finances and does not think the Village is making enough in its current CD s which only return about 1% interest. o Peter Winterfeld mentioned discussing the topic with Mr. Sharp, but that he himself is hesitant to invest Village funds in an unsure market and is more confident knowing that the Village moneys are safe and secure. George Emmett, Lakes Committee, thanked the Board for their support of preserving and improving Village lakes and ponds. He also mentioned that the committee is in need of a few members for anyone willing to serve. The committee meets once a month, and usually
takes a break in the winter. The committee helps maintain the lakes; about six years ago the lakes were in bad shape and since the committee has been involved the lakes have improved fourfold. The lakes are not self-sustaining, though, and are in need of constant maintenance of different types. Any and all input and help from the community is appreciated. Gary Wilde, Marina Committee, also mentioned the need for a few more committee members. He added his appreciation for the Board in supporting their recent efforts to repair and enhance the appearance of the marina through pressure washing and boat surveys. The committee is also looking into a long term plan to replace all the docks in the marina. Ric Simons, Security Committee, brought up that the committee is also down a few members. The committee meets quarterly when the judge is called out for court, but they will hold additional meetings if needed. The committee has been active in speed surveys and increased enforcement. They also suggested the removal of most of the stop signs as well as the placement of pedestrian crosswalks. Jim MacMillan, Golf Committee, the golf course is in great shape thanks to the golf staff as well as the golf pro, Joe Holdridge, and his staff who have been at the Village now for two years. Joe Holdridge has been in charge of spearheading more tournaments and both revenue and golf play has increased over previous years. The committee is also in need of members; they meet from April to October, once a month as well. There will be a golf course open house on June 10 th that is open to all members. Jim Lockie, Roads and Drainage Committee, talked about the committee being involved in helping members with their drainage issues; as well as physically working on road repairs or drainage issues that affect community property. One project coming up will be installing some handicap parking spaces at the clubhouse and office. Ken Hoffer mentioned that the Architectural Control Committee is currently the only committee not in need of members; they are in charge of granting permits for architectural projects in the Village, the next meeting they will be viewing fifteen projects. Pat Vavrick, Div. 11B, Lot 33, brought up the need to cover or remove the painted stops on the roads where stop signs have been removed. o Ken Hoffer mentioned that some had been painted over already; some other options like sand blasting were researched and found to be too harsh on the road. Gary Wilde, Div. 15A, Lot 5, mentioned looking into certifying a Village staff member for inspecting back flow preventers. The cost is $125.00 a year to have them inspected and that money could go to the Village instead. CALL TO ORDER: The Birch Bay Village Community Club (BBVCC) Annual Meeting was called to order at 8:00pm. QUORUM: A quorum was established: 102 lots were represented at the meeting (93 lots signed in at the meeting and 9 proxies were turned in to the Manager); also, 225 ballots were counted the day before. 2
AGENDA: Motion made by Jerry Royal, Div. 1, Lot 33, seconded and carried to accept the Agenda for the Annual Meeting of June 1, 2012 as written. INTRODUCTION: Peter Winterfeld, Board President Peter Winferfeld introduced the Board of Directors: Harry Shearer (Vice-President) and a valuable asset to the Board; Ralph Falk (Treasurer) who s term is ending and he will not be re-running, he will be missed; Ken Davidson (Secretary) has been heading up some much needed marina maintenance and repairs; Valery Anderson who has been overseeing the front gate renovation project; and Terry Sullivan who has volunteered with the roads and drainage committee and also organized the latest Village clean-up. MINUTES: Motion made by Ric Simons, Div. 11B, Lot 22, seconded and carried to accept the Minutes of the General Meeting of November 4, 2011 as written. TREASURER S REPORT: Ralph Falk The Village financial statement and 2011 audit were in the Annual June Packet for review. The finances were about the same as the year before; about $19,000 excess income over expenses for 2011. There are about a dozen members who have not paid dues in several years, and about twenty who are in the rears for 2012. Both Ken Hoffer and Rachel Childers keep on top of sending out letter to delinquent members, as well as placing liens. So far this year the amount of unpaid dues has dropped from $131,000 to about $75,000. Ken Hoffer is also working on a payment plan for the remainder owing. The Board worked in foreclosing one property last year which was just recently sold. Because the Village is a nonprofit organization most of the profit from that sale will be taxed. The Village lawyer is currently working on foreclosing another property. Some of the delinquent accounts owe more than what the property is worth so it would not be beneficial to foreclose. When a property does sell, all back dues are generally paid off. Ken Hoffer and Rachel Childers are diligent in ensuring dues are paid in the end. As a community association the Village is doing very well financially, especially compared with other associations. A copy of the reserve accounts was displayed on the projector screen. The current general reserve account balance is $619,965 with $289,965 cash at hand and the rest is in secure CD s. The current road and drainage reserve account balance is $524,022 with $239,022 cash at hand and the rest is in secure CD s. The current marina reserve account balance is $282,664 with $162,664 cash at hand and the remainder in secure CD s. The total BBVCC funds are around $1.4 million. If anyone has questions on Village financials, see Ken Hoffer or Rachel Childers at the office. 3
SECRETARY S ADDRESS: Ken Davidson Big supporter of volunteering. Volunteers help to keep dues down and keep the Village running functionally. The water line on B dock was replaced recently, and it was amazing to see how many people showed up to volunteer. There were about twelve volunteers, and the work took about twelve hours total time. A rough estimate on what the volunteers save the Village each year is easily $100,000. Peter Winterfeld thanked all the volunteers who showed up for the water line replacement. MANAGER S REPORT: Ken Hoffer Started out by introducing the staff present: Esther Matter, Wendy Blankenship, Rachel Childers, Karla Foss, and Jeff Weaver. Announced some club functions coming up soon: there is an Elvis Party coming up in July; the Village-wide yard sale held at the lower gate is in August; the Art Group has been displaying artwork on the newly renovated wall in the clubhouse and some of the pieces are for sale; there is a vice-commodore cruise coming in July; there is the golf course open house on June 10 th, the Jr. golf program will start soon (see the pro shop for details), also the Chill Out Café is open to all members, they serve chili, hot dogs, beer, etc.; the pool is now open on the weekends, the schedule was in the Annual June packet and is at the office. There has been a new state ruling that Homeowner s Associations are now required to show the percentage of funding in the reserve report as well as a plan to get to 100% of funding if it is not at 100% already. The government is also discussing changing the amount of people needed for a quorum, as some associations have a difficult time getting a quorum together for voting; the suggestion is to change a quorum to 10% of membership. Although a ruling was turned down to require that managers of associations obtain and maintain a real estate license, there is another act being discussed to require a CMCA certification for association managers. Terry Sullivan discussed the goal of becoming more self-sufficient and avoiding a lot of outside contractor help. The Village now has a full-time mechanic on staff to lessen the amount of sending equipment out for repairs; a new lift was purchased for the maintenance shop to be able to do oil changes and greasing equipment; and a brush cutter was purchased which has been used along Roger s Slough and in other areas. PRESIDENT S REPORT: Peter Winterfeld Took over presidency in January after Sandra Stillion resigned from the Board. Adamant to enforce Village rules; even though the Covenants were written in 1968, the rules still apply today. Case in point, Declaration #5 states that Village roads are private, and therefore all members deemed not in good standing had their driving privileges revoked. About $70,000 dues were paid after driving privileges were revoked. Some properties are bank owned and the lawyer is currently taking care of some problem properties. 4
The reserves are in good shape and the funds are secure. The hard assets are also insured and secure: marina, golf course, clubhouse, etc. Props to the golf committee for making the golf course one of the best in the county. Gary Wilde and the marina committee have been very aggressive this year on marina repairs and aesthetics. They are currently working on some plans to repair the launch ramp and BP has agreed to donate some money or resources for that repair. They have also conducted a survey and had the office send letters to boats appearing to be derelict. The flower bed at the front gate is not being maintained since preparations are being made to begin work on the front gate renovations. A temporary guard house will be rented at only $160.00 a month. The contract for the front gate is being reviewed by the lawyer, once it is signed by both parties, work will commence. About 22 signs have already been removed from the front gate area. The flooring for the clubhouse is due for replacement; an ad hoc committee was formed and they have decided on a type of hard vinyl flooring. They are currently getting bids. Rubber feet and felt will be put on all the furniture in the clubhouse to help preserve the flooring. ANNOUNCEMENT OF NEW DIRECTORS: Two terms are coming up for the current Board of Directors: Ralph Falk who has served on the Board for seven years total, with a year break in between; and Terry Sullivan who is running for a second term. Ralph Falk s wife, Marion, has created a slide show of pictures around the Village for every membership meeting; her intent was to show and remind everyone of all the good in Birch Bay Village. Election Committee chair Sherri Bakke introduced the committee: Sandra Bogen, Elaine Lerner, Dixie Reimer, Heather Perks, and Happ Webb. There were six candidates running for the Board of Directors: o Terry Sullivan had 191 votes counted o Jim Lockie had 167 votes counted o Eric Peters had 167 votes counted o Sandy Zeitel had 154 votes counted o Jeff Morris-Reade had 123 votes counted o Ric Simons had 49 votes counted Terry Sullivan, Jim Lockie, and Eric Peters are the new Board of Directors for the 2012-2015 year term. Ken Hoffer thanked the election committee and all the candidates for running; and also reminded the candidates that there would be another opportunity next year and that there are committees in need of members as well. ADJOURNMENT: Motion made by Jim Lockie, Div. 12M, Lot 32, seconded and carried to adjourn. Meeting adjourned at 8:41pm. Approved Attest: 5
Esther Matter Recording Secretary: Esther Matter 6