Evergreen Meadows Homeowners Association Annual Meeting Minutes

September 30, 2008, 7:00 p.m.
Conference Baptist Church

  1. It was observed that 26 members had signed in at the commencement of the meeting. That meets the quorum requirement of 10% of 229 members of EMHA.
  2. Minutes of meetings are posted on EMHA website, address www.emha.us.
  3. Architectural Review Board (ARB) on behalf of chair, who could not attend the meeting — thanks to members for submitting plans to ARB. Any changes to exterior of property should be mailed or e-mailed to ARB for approval.
  4. Glenn Vandine reported on membership, as chair of EMHA membership. Dues collected from 229 homeowners. A number of members paid more than the dues which was appreciated as it allowed additional board activities for the membership of EMHA. Comments frequently are included with dues payments, and are appreciated. We would like to keep the quarterly frequency of the EMHA newsletter. Our HOA membership is at about 50% of homes in Evergreen Meadows. Non-paying members do still receive newsletters and communications. We do have e-mails for about 200 homeowners and they receive additional communications per "e-mail blasts".
  5. Treasurer’s Report — The report was distributed hard copy. Balance as of 8/31/2007 was 18653.78; balance as of 8/31/2008 was 18586.86. A discrepancy was noted in the treasurer’s report; there was a motion for the error being corrected and the treasurer’s report will be published in the next newsletter. Acceptance of the annual budget is contingent on the correction. There was a question regarding what the insurance pays for — it pays for liability on common areas, such as the ball field, on empty properties, as well as liability for board of directors.
  6. Special Events — The four main events are the Christmas light contest, picnic, Easter egg hunt, and the neighborhood garage sale. Clarification that the garage sale is not a revenue generating event. Homeowners do not pay to be a part of the event, but do have to be members of the HOA. The other special events are open to all Evergreen Meadows homeowners.
  7. Representative from the DOW-Howard Horton, District Wildlife Manager. Level one peace officer, same as state patrol, have statewide jurisdiction. Mr. Horton reported that female bears go to sleep first; all bears should be hibernating by later October, early November. Bears are opportunistic and will eat what is most accessible. "We don’t have bear problems, we have people problems." It is illegal to feed all wildlife, except for bird feeders. Bird feeders are not needed during the summer, but are good in winter. At this time of year bears are eating 20 hours per day and 20,000 calories per day. It is critical that bears do not come to see people as sources of food. If a bear swats at a person, it has to be killed. If a bear breaks into house, it has to be killed. Bears cannot be relocated in state anymore. It is critical to not feed bears or any other wildlife. There is chronic wasting disease seen in elk in Colorado; it is passed through saliva and feces. The elk in your yard eating corn you have put out could have this. Deer are also prey for mountain lions so it is best not to attract them with food. DOW will issue a warning for feeding wildlife the first time; a second time a fine of $100 will be levied. Subsequent citations are more expensive.
  8. Bear safety was discussed. Stay calm, back away, try not to fall. Mountain lion safety was discussed. Don’t run away from lion — it will think you’re prey. Most problem animals are adolescents. Bears forage for seeds and berries; they are 90% vegetarian. Mountain lions prefer deer.
  9. There is bear mace to protect against bears. Loud long noises are more effective at scaring lions away. Phone for wildlife issues: 303-291-7166, 303-838-2655. Officer Horton brought brochures and you can go to www.wildlife.state.co.us for information in brochures and guidelines for fencing. Officer Horton is available to come for special events also, such as the picnic. Thank you to Officer Horton for all the information.
  10. Weed control — typically we have spring spraying for weeds, but we did not do it this last spring. We are doing fall spraying, which is reported effective. It was suggested that we put notification in the newsletter to homeowners letting them know when the time is to spray. Include details regarding what chemicals should be used on noxious weeds.
  11. Election of new board. Ballots were distributed. Candidates were introduced. Elected board can decide how the offices will be filled, perhaps combining some functions as there are more offices than anticipated board members. There was the opportunity of board candidates to speak. Jeff Courtney introduced himself as a participant in community activities, grew up in Evergreen Meadows and wants to give to the community. Andy Potter introduced himself. He has lived in the Meadows for 15 months and wants to be part of the community. He is a believer in e-mail and has interest in building the board and neighborhood activities. Mike Dyer has lived here for 6 years and is a community volunteer for non-profits. Dave Kelly has lived in the Meadows for 10 years and wants to get involved. Plan is to transition the new board via a meeting in October/November with the outgoing board. People were asked to fill out ballots. Additional volunteers were solicited, and we received two additional volunteers — Carol Pike and Gary Justus. Nominations to the board were closed. Thank you to all the volunteers.
  12. Covenants — Copies of covenants and flow of enforcement were available for distribution. Board has responded to complaints regarding covenant violations and tries to deal with all complaints expeditiously. Board works on covenants on a complaint basis, and does not "patrol" neighborhood for violations. Question was posed as to time-consuming nature of specific property violation. Details regarding this violation were outlined. There was concern expressed over precedent being set in terms of non-compliance with covenants. Requested that the board speak to process undertaken to deal with violation. The flow chart for the process was distributed. It will be stressed in the newsletter for homeowners to comply with the covenants. The board has about a dozen violations that it has dealt with in the past year, successfully, with violations remedied. Refer to flow chart handout. Note: notice is sent via certified letter to homeowner (vs. resident in case of rental property). Timeframe for remedying situation is specified in letter. Covenants are registered with county as is any legal document. It was pointed out that the covenants are written in such a way as to allow flexibility in enforcement. Re-writing of the covenants requires 2/3 approval of all homeowners in Evergreen Meadows; it is no small task, but is a possibility.
  13. Meeting was adjourned at 8:40.