WCP Homeowners Association July 26, 2007 901 West Campus Lane DRAFT Minutes Action Items Motion/Second/Carried •
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That the Association formally select HH Fremer to serve as the architectural firm to oversee plans for leak mitigation, contingent on the Board’s approval of the firm’s answers to the Association’s follow-up questions. That Connie Burns redistribute specified funds in the Associations CD portfolio to retain insurance protection.
Present: WCPHOA Board Directors: Eric Dahl, Jon Cruz, Steve Gaulin, Laura Kalman. Audrey Nelson; Homeowners: Kate Metropolis, Jane Rudolph, Alison Moehlis, Gail Humphreys, Tess Cruz; Management: Connie Burns Call to Order: • •
Meeting called to order at 7:10 pm. Board quorum established
Approval of June 2007 Board Minutes • The Board reviewed and unanimously approved the minutes of the June 2007 Board meeting. Liaison to the University-Update (Kate Metropolis and Jane Rudolph) • The university indicates a readiness to move ahead with the next stage of addressing the construction issues for leak damages and repair. • The university will meet with the Liaison Committee (Metropolis and Rudolph) and Board President (Dahl) to discussion plans to begin repairs on unit 917, which remains uninhabitable since used for forensic study on structural flaws related to water intrusion. This unit will serve as a pilot case to assess structural repairs, construction innovations, and architectural alterations. The Board agreed that this is a good step forward. • It is anticipated that at a future date, the architectural firm that will guide the renovations will do a careful site visit to unit 917. The Board will request another meeting with the firm at which WCP resident-owners can ask further questions, Page 1
West Campus Point Homeowners Association – Board Meeting Minutes – July 26, 2007
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present their concerns, and participate in the development of a “wish list” for the project. The university is also eager to move on with formalizing commitments with an architectural firm. The board has agreed that of the two firms on the short list, HH Fremer Architects was by far the more appropriate firm to take on the West Campus Point leak remediation project. However, the Board presented some additional questions, several from owners, to HH Fremer Architects. Moved/Second/Carried: that the Association formally select HH Fremer to serve as the architectural firm to oversee plans for leak mitigation contingent on the Board’s approval of the firm’s answers to the Association’s follow-up questions.
There was extensive discussion on how to best work with ongoing homeowner concerns and input. With the process of leak mitigating moving from hypothetical to actual, the Board anticipates increased homeowner attention and concern. The Board will establish an Architectural Liaison Committee to collect, catalog, and summarize homeowners’ concerns; to collaborate with the University and the architectural firm in the design process; and to keep WCP resident-owners appraised of progress. Board Meeting Management The order and structure of discussion at Board meetings was raised. How to include member input, especially with regard to topics that require extensive discussion, and which can easily shorten the board’s limited schedule to get through all committee reports and the careful vetting of the monthly financial issues presented by management (Town and Country) was again raised. The Board had moved in a previous session to start the Members' Forum portion of the meeting at 8:15 pm (meetings start at 7:00 pm). However, members may want to comment on urgent issues—such as how to tackle leak mitigation strategies—discussed by the Board earlier in the agenda. A concern was also voiced that WCP Board discussions have traditionally been more flexible, allowing members to comment on issues before the Board as they are discussed. The Board will continue to struggle with how to accommodate business expeditiously in a manner that does not restricted members’ participation only to the Members’ Forum. It was suggested that as the leak remediation project moves forward, the once-a-month Board meetings may not be adequate to encompass homeowner input and an additional meeting for such “overflows” be established to ensure adequate time to discuss the issues. Member’s Forum • Alison Moehlis reported on a notice from the Office of Campus Planning and Design pertaining to plans to protect native vegetation in the Coal Point area. The Board may wish to stay abreast with this since the concern over native plants may actually impact the County’s plans to build a parking lot on the bluffs in front of WCP housing. This issue is also a component in the larger Long Range Development Plan for the area. • Members commended Alison and associates who facilitated the Saturday evening movies in the commons for residents. Page 2
West Campus Point Homeowners Association – Board Meeting Minutes – July 26, 2007 •
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Gail Humphreys raised the issue of member’s input during board meetings, suggesting that members have brought very helpful dimensions to the board’s formal business discussions, and that it would be prudent for the board to not lose this aspect of involvement. She also noted that it was important for the Association to monitor the pilot work soon to be done on unit 917 to ensure that construction and design decisions on the unit do run result in design decisions that might not necessarily be the best for other units. Her concern underscored the Board’s feeling that the rehabilitation of unit 917 ought to be the occasion for greater attention and engagement on the part of the WCP Homeowners Association. Tess Cruz, one of the two WCP representatives to the Architectural Review Board (consisting of WCP residents and university personnel), raised the question of how the ARB could be involved in the impending reconstruction plans. She also suggested that now might be a good time for the Board to consider appointing other members whose interests and expertise make them especially appropriate for the next stage of development impacting West Campus.
Committee Reports Financial • Connie Burns from Town and Country reported that some of the Association’s funds in CDs would soon be reaching the levels at which they need to be redistributed to remain fully insured. Motion/Second/Carried: that Connie Burns redistribute specified funds in the Associations portfolio to retain full insurance protection. • In order to prepare for and comply with the required Reserve Study, Connie presented an estimate of major expenditures for the remainder of the year. This estimate will serve as a significant factor in determining the recommendations of the Reserve Study. The Board reviewed and prioritized the estimated expenditures, postponing a number of them until 2008. • Connie reported that district-wide efforts to reject the water meter rate increases proposed by the Goleta Water District failed. As a result, fees will increase. Her estimate is that the monthly water fees for WCP will jump by approximately 250%. She will notify homeowners of the impact this will have on monthly dues. Landscape Maintenance • The next walk-around for surveying landscape issues will take place on August 20th at 11:00am. • The Eucalyptus trees, some of which are diseased and notorious for their shedding black, sticky stains on nearby structures will no longer be fertilized and treated. Instead, they will slowly be replaced in a case-by-case basis, and in keeping with the larger goal of moving toward tree plantings in keeping with aesthetics, climate/habitat appropriateness, and lower water consumption goals.
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West Campus Point Homeowners Association – Board Meeting Minutes – July 26, 2007 Additional Management Issues: Election of Board of Directors/Annual Meetings • Consistent with recent state regulations, the Association will need to prepare for its Annual Meeting in December, and this entails a state-mandated timeline to ensure specific procedures for the election of the Board of Directors are followed. Connie presented the Board with a timeline for such planning which the Board approved. Meeting adjourned at 9:41 pm Next Board meeting • Date: August 23, 2007. • Location: to be announced. Respectfully submitted by Jon Cruz, Secretary These minutes presented in draft until approved at the next Board meeting.
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