HOMESTEAD IN THE WILLOWS HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION
Regular Board Meeting February 7, 2022 – Unofficial Minutes
CALL TO ORDER: President, Donald Luther called the meeting to order at 6:04pm with Secretary, James Keating; Treasurer, Kelly McCormick; Business Manager, Katie Kidwell; Tennis Manager, Jill Ellsworth; and Landscape, Nancy Bauer in attendance. Kelly Kane, reporting for Swim Team and Social Committee; Vice President, Chris Evans and Member at Large, Will Cryer attended the meeting via Zoom. Donald opened the meeting with the reminder that the Board members first duty is to represent the interests of the Association and make decisions based on what is best for the HOA.
MINUTES: The minutes of the January 10, 2022 regular meeting were approved as read.
SWIM TEAM: Kelly Kane reported that the Swim Team board has decided to re-string the aging lane ropes in lieu of purchasing new ones.
SOCIAL COMMITTEE: Kelly Kane reported the Social Committee is currently planning the annual Easter egg hunt. The committee is also exploring the possibility of having a craft/homemade goods day where homeowners can showcase their crafts and hobbies. The event may be combined with the egg hunt, however, if there is enough interest it may become a stand-alone event. Member at Large, Will Cryer mentioned he had been approached by homeowners wondering if there was a coffee shop food truck that would come to the neighborhood on weekends. Homeowners could walk up the street, get their coffee and visit with neighbors. Kelly will see if that is a possibility.
MANAGER REPORTS
- POOL: No report.
- LANDSCAPE: Manager Nancy Bauer reported that three sections of Perimeter Fence were repaired at a cost of $3,700. Kelly asked Nancy to join the Perimeter Fence Committee in an advisory capacity and Nancy agreed. Nancy also looked into replacing mulch in the shrub beds with cobble. Mulch has to be refreshed every three years and the cost is rising. Cobble wouldn’t have to be refreshed, but the cost is almost three times as much. Some of the Association pine trees have pine wilt and Nancy is working with an arborist to treat diseased trees whenever possible. Nancy and the Board again expressed their gratitude to AK Riley and her team for donating the proceeds of the Homestead Home Tour to the Save our Shade program for the purchase of five trees.
- TENNIS: Jill reported on tennis participation statistics from the Colorado Tennis Association. Homestead had 403 adult league participants and 72 Junior Team Tennis participants. Homestead is the second largest HOA for league participation in the state of Colorado. The Tennis Captains meeting will be via Zoom on February 10 and USTA league tennis will begin at the end of March. Jill also looked into dropping to seven tennis courts for league play so that one tennis court could be devoted to pickleball players. In general, giving up one tennis court causes the league players to have to drop two different teams. Eight tennis courts can host 4 teams each night of the week, but with seven courts Homestead could only accommodate two teams each night of the week. Jill answered concerns about the cable ties on the windscreens. They are made to break in wind and weather. If they did not, the tension would cause the nets themselves to tear. Jill replaces the cable ties as soon as possible after storms.
- ACC/TASK FORCE: The ACC now has applications specific to the type of work being done. Only the new applications can be used going forward because the ACC volunteers have been reassigned to evaluate specific types of home improvements. The volunteers who approve paint are not the same ones who approve requests for new windows and doors. The applications are on the website as well as available in the gray mailbox outside the Business Office doors.
- BUSINESS: Katie reported that the annual meeting date was changed because the regularly scheduled date of March 14 occurred during the Cherry Creek School District spring break. A new Notice of Meeting would be mailed to each homeowner along with a proxy form. Homeowners are encouraged to return the proxy if they cannot attend the meeting so that the Board has a quorum for business at the meeting. Katie explained the new entry gate system for the pools and tennis courts would operate from a mobile credential downloaded onto each homeowners smartphone. The Association would need a separate email for each pass a family would want; one for mom, dad, each child, full time caregiver, etc. For those homeowners who don’t have smartphones, key fobs would be available for purchase. Children under 10 years of age would not be granted a smartphone pass in accordance with Homesteads Pool Rules. The Board discussed how to notify the community about the need for email addresses. Katie presented the property insurance renewal to the Board. Overall the increase is 4.7%. The Board approved the renewal. Three of the signs prohibiting motorized vehicles on the greenbelt paths were pulled out of the ground and had to be reinstalled. The entry sign on the West side is being repaired.
FINANCIAL REPORT: The Association was scheduled to deposit $223,327 in the Reserve Fund per the 2021 budget. Additional funds were available so Kelly moved and Will seconded a motion to transfer an additional $86,367 totaling $309,694 to the Vectra bank account reserve accounts as follows: $226,687 in the reserve account, $ 83,007 to the Perimeter Fence reserve fund. The motion passed unanimously.
The 2022 budget has a $311,010 projected surplus with $150,000 earmarked for reserve expenditures and $150,000 for deposit to the Perimeter Fence fund. The Fence fund deposit could vary depending on unexpected Perimeter Fence repairs.
OLD BUSINESS: Kelly reported that 4 homeowners had volunteered to be part of the Perimeter Fence committee to investigate materials to replace the Perimeter Fence. One homeowner has experience working with the City of Centennial which will be very helpful as well. Ting had approached the Association about contracting with the HOA to be the sole internet provider for the neighborhood. The Board agreed to decline the offer but asked Katie to pursue obtaining internet service for the Pools. The changes to the Governing Policies and Residential Improvement Guidelines were again tabled for clarification with changes to Colorado law.
NEW BUSINESS: The Board discussed the agenda for the Annual Meeting of Members on March 7, 2022. They reviewed the appeals of the last month, talked about how the process could be improved, and Donald and Chris will draft a summary document. They also discussed the increased workload of the ACC and whether a paid manager was advisable.
ADJOURNMENT AND CALENDARING: The meeting adjourned at 8:26pm. The next regular Board Meeting will be on Monday, April 11 at 6:00pm at the Business Office and via Zoom.