A meeting of the Board of Directors of the Williamsburg Settlement Maintenance Association, Inc. was held on Tuesday, August 20, 2013 at 5:30 p.m. at the Williamsburg Settlement clubhouse, 1602 Hoyt, Katy, Texas 77449.
ATTENDANCE
Board Members present were Floyd Ball, Gail Owen, Walt Smith, Michael Wood, Dave Ellis and Martin Spears. Also, in attendance were Officer Paul Wilburn and Dolores Sue representing Planned Community Management, Inc. (PCMI).
With a quorum being established, the meeting was called to order at 5:30 p.m.
MINUTES
The Board reviewed the minutes of the July 16, 2013 Board meeting. A motion to accept the minutes as written was made by Walt Smith, seconded by Gail Owen and unanimously approved.
HOMEOWNER CONCERNS
There were five (5) homeowners present.
Some of the homeowners present asked if it would be possible for the pool to remain open on weekends through September, and starting in 2014 perhaps shift the time that the pool is open by one hour so that it would be open from 12:00 noon through 9:00 PM. They expressed the view that by extending the closing until 9:00 PM some people who work late would be able to take more advantage of it. The Board agreed to consider these suggestions and thanked them for their input.
Two Board Members from the swim team attend the meeting. They asked the Board whether instead of supporting the swim team by giving them a $125.00 sponsor check as last year, it would consider rescinding the charges for non-resident swimmers. Currently the Association charges $20.00 for the first non-resident swimmer in a family and $5.00 for each additional non-resident sibling. The Board stated that it would discuss this issue and get back to them. However, it was pointed out that some homeowners who pay their dues take exception to the use of our facilities by non-residents at no charge.
The swim team also would like to have a trophy case installed at the clubhouse for showcasing all their trophies. The Board recalled that this issue had been raised in the past and at that time the Board agreed in principal, provided that the swim team funded the cost. But the team did not follow through. The Board reiterated their willingness to support this and again the team was asked to report back with some specific suggestions.
A homeowner stated that on Friday, August 16, 2013 she was in the pool when an umbrella was picked up by the wind; blown into the pool and struck her on the arm. The Board was notified of the incident and expressed its regret and hope that the injury was not serious. It subsequently gave her the procedure on how to make an insurance claim. However, the homeowner attended the meeting to express her dissatisfaction with the way in which the Board responded. She feels that as a long time homeowner in the subdivision this issued was handled poorly by the Association. The Board again expressed its regret at the incident and thanked her for coming to the meeting.
Another resident stated that an increasing number vehicles are parking on the streets in our subdivision and one in particular that is parked near his home street drips oil. The Board recognizes such parking as a growing problem. However, as the streets are owned by the County the only jurisdiction the Association has is if vehicles are being stored on the street. It has no jurisdiction over contemporaneous parking. If a vehicle is parked too close to an intersection or fire hydrant or facing the wrong direction then the sheriff can be called to take action.
It was also mentioned that residents are receiving solicitors. There are no-solicitation signs at the entrances to the subdivision but due to a Supreme Court ruling this prohibition is not enforceable. The Supreme Court ruled that people can solicit and all you can do is to tell them to leave your property. Should they not leave your property when asked you may call the sheriff’s department.
PATROL SERVICE REPORT
Martin Spears reported there had been an increase in “meet-the-citizen” events and checks on the clubhouse and school this month. He also noted that many residents are taking advantage of the vacation watch service provided by our patrol officers. Overall the summer has gone very smoothly.
FINANCIAL AND DELINQUENCY SUMMARY
Dave Ellis presented the financials. As of July 31, 2013, the money in the bank totaled $658,287.00. This includes checking, savings accounts and CD’s and is the money to cover both operating expenses and the necessary reserve to fund maintenance and replacement of the Association’s capital assets.
Delinquency for the month ending July 30, 2013 was $16,629.57.
OLD BUSINESS
Perimeter Fence Repair - Floyd Ball reported there was a problem with one small section of the perimeter fence that has now been repaired with new pickets. On the Creek side of the perimeter fence it has been noticed that some bushes and trees are starting to grow back through the fence causing damage. The pipeline company has mowed the area and trimmed some but there are some limbs left along the fence. Garcia Landscaping presented a proposal to clear the fence line, haul away all debris and trim trees on the Creek side for a cost of $600.00. A motion to accept the proposal was made by Walter Smith, seconded by Dave Ellis and unanimously approved.
Status on Repairs to Carter’s Grove Monument - The Board discussed the delay in having the monument repaired. The delay is due to the extended delivery time required for a special delivery of the limestone sign that was destroyed. Limestone was chosen as this is what is being replaced and will match the other entrances. The repairs will be done as quickly as possible.
During the discussion it was noted that someone has also run into the wall at Bruton Park entrance. The Association has asked Brick Restoration to submit a proposal for its repair
NEW BUSINESS
Welcome New Board Member - The Board welcomed Mr. Michael Wood to the Board of Directors to fill the vacant position. The Board expressed their appreciation for him volunteering and looks forward to working with him.
Assignment of Duties for the New Board Member - It was unanimously agreed that Michael Wood would initially serve as liaison with the Swim Team on the new trophy case and will help facilitate community events.
Association Directory - Now that the Association directory is on-line via our web site the Board needed to make a decision as to whether there is justification to publish a 2014 hard copy. Dave Ellis reported that of our 763 homes, 583 residents are in the hard copy of the directory and only 14 of these have declined having their information published in our on-line version. This represents a high level of acceptance. There have been two email notifications letting residents know that the decision on whether to continue the hard copy was to be made at this meeting, inviting either responses or residents to attend the meeting to make their views on the subject known to the Board. As there have been no responses at all the Board has to conclude that there is little resident interest in the subject and no justification for the additional expense and effort required to publish another edition. Accordingly, Dave Ellis made a motion to discontinue publishing a hard copy for the directory and to cease all further monthly updates of the 2011 edition. This motion was seconded by Michael Wood and unanimously approved. It was mentioned that if there is resurgence of interest in a hard copy in future years this decision could be revisited and a new edition published.
Replacement of Sand in Pool Filters - The Board reviewed a proposal from Houston Recreation Management for changing the sand in 3TR-1-40 Triton Sand Filers and 1 TR-60 high rate sand filter. All media will be removed and discarded. New media will be installed after all laterals and gaskets are replaced. The cost for this work will be $2,960.68. It was also noted that the sand has not been replaced since 2008 so it is very close to the end of its operational life. A motion to approve this expenditure was made by Dave Ellis, seconded by Walt Smith and unanimously approved.
Swim Team Request and Sponsorship - The Board discussed the request which had been made by the swim team at the beginning of the meeting to rescind the payments made by the team to the Association for all non-resident team members. While the Board acknowledges and firmly believes that the swim team is good for the community, it also has to balance the view of homeowners who are paying their dues to have access to the pool and feel that people not living the subdivision should not have access to swim without charge. A motion that the existing agreement for payment of non-residents at a rate of $20.00 for the first swimmer in a non-resident family and $5.00 for each non-resident sibling be continued was made by Walt Smith, seconded by Dave Ellis and unanimously approved.
A motion was to maintain last year’s sponsorship contribution to the swim team of $125.00 was made by Dave Ellis, seconded by Walter Smith and unanimously approved.
September Budget Meeting - A number of possible items for consideration in the 2014 budget were discussed. Cost estimates for the higher probability projects, and any new topics that might have an impact on 2014 expenditures, will be prepared and emailed to Dave Ellis, the treasurer, for review by all at the September budget meeting.
ADJOURNMENT TO EXECUTIVE SESSION
At 7:00 p.m. the Board adjourned to executive session to discuss delinquencies, deed restriction matters and security issues.
DECISIONS MADE DURING EXECUTIVE SESSION
Delinquency - The Board reviewed the delinquency report. At the present time no additional accounts need to be sent to the Association attorney. However, there are a few accounts that may be sent to the attorney for collection if payment is not received in August
Deed Restrictions - The Board reviewed the deed restriction list from the inspections performed August 7, 2013. It was unanimously agreed to instruct PCMI to turn one account over to the Association attorney for legal action.
Additional Cameras - A contract was signed for $1,709.33 with Advantage Security Integration to install additional cameras.
With no further business the meeting was adjourned at 7:45 p.m. The next meeting will be September 17, 2013 at the offices of Planned Community Management.
