Hidden Valley Lake
Property Owners Association
Board of Directors Meeting
March 22, 2018
Unapproved
Board of Directors Present: Pat Hawkins, Tom Hamilton, Bill Minnery and Donna Yetzer
Board of Directors absent: Robert Starks
Community Manager Present: Bruce Keller
Guests: None
Motions for March Board Meeting:
- Approval of December 2017 minutes.
- Approval of Performance Bond returns.
- Request by Gordon Weiss for variance on wall closer than 10 feet to property line and over 8 inches high
- Request a motion for a following Boating Course requirement.
- Request a motion to accept Dick Myers and Rich Gannon as new members of the Future Planning Committee.
- Motion requiring open meeting Board vote authorizing the use of certain amenities by non-residents.
Pledge of Allegiance:
President Pat Hawkins called the March 22, 2018 Board of Directors Meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. The meeting began with the Pledge of Allegiance.
President’s Report: Pat Hawkins
We would like to start tonight’s meeting by recognizing our own Nick Goepper’s achievement at the 2018 Winter Olympics. While Nick’s winning the Silver Medal was a singular achievement, we know that it could not have happened without the sacrifices and support of his family. Congratulations to all of them!
You may have noted that the published agenda for tonight’s meeting differs in format from what we have historically used. Specifically, at the beginning it calls out the motions that will be presented for the board’s consideration. The board asked for this change in format. At the February town hall meetings, we committed to making it easier for residents to understand what was coming before the board at any given meeting.
Based on today’s Facebook conversation, we need to take it a step further. I have asked Bruce Keller, effective with the April board meeting, to divide the motions into two categories: those on which the board will vote and those that are first readings being presented for discussion.
To clarify as best I can, any motion that involves adding or modifying a rule requires two readings. The first reading gives the community notice about the proposed rule or change to an existing rule. We encourage residents to share their concerns about the language in the motion, or the motion itself. The board considers all the feedback they receive and, depending on that feedback, may choose to accept the rule as written, modify the language, or not act on the motion at all. Over the years, various boards have exercised all three options.
The proposed rule about limiting amenity usage comes before the board tonight as a first reading. The very earliest it would be presented for a vote would be the April board meeting, and whatever the board is asked to vote on should consider and reflect the feedback we receive.
For each of tonight’s motions that is a first reading for a rules change or modification, the board asks that the originating committees incorporate suggested language changes that arise from tonight’s meeting. By the end of next week, we will publish the amended motions on Facebook and send them in a List Serve to the community to best ensure that all property owners know what the board will be asked to vote upon and to specifically solicit their feedback. This will be our practice moving forward.
We are pleased that five individuals are campaigning for two board seats. We wish them all well and look forward to working with whomever the community chooses to represent them.
Treasurer’s Report: Bob Starks
No report
Secretary’s Report: Donna Yetzer
- Request approval of the December 14, 2017 Board of Directors Meeting Minutes
Motion made by Tom Hamilton and seconded by Bill Minnery to approve December 14, 2017 Meeting Minutes. Motion passed 4-0, 1 absent.
Community Manager’s Report: Bruce Keller
The deer cull netted 26 deer this year. If it snows this weekend we will have a deer count on Sunday.
We are awaiting other bids for the repair of the slip on the dam and will be monitoring closely with this weekend’s possible snowfall.
You will see the Lifeguard shack replaced this year giving the guards a safer place to work. At this same time we will improve the smoking area.
The bridge has been installed and looks awesome. I want to thank Girl Scout Jamie Morman for taking on this project and all those that made donations. The POA paid for the difference and we are currently awaiting bids for is completion.
New metal picnic tables are in and you will see new ones to replace the wooden ones at our upper beach shelter. You will also see a minimum of 5 new tables at the pool. These 5 tables along with the 15 to 20 extra lounge chairs that will be purchased by your pool manager Angie Ruberg, should add significant seating to the pool. You will see the best of the wooden tables from the upper beach shelter go to the 77 acre park. The current plan calls for replacing all wooden picnic tables at the 77 acres with new metal ones.
Bruce invited everyone to the Annual Board of Directors Meeting on Thursday, April 26, 2018 at the Golf Club. They will serve finger foods and drinks starting at 6:00pm and the Board will start at 7:00pm
Pat Hawkins reported the both candidates for the Republican Nomination for Dearborn County Sheriff, Shane McHenry and Brad Schwing have reached out to Hidden Valley Lake asking for an opportunity to answer questions from our residents and to attend a Board Meeting. Pat spoke to both gentlemen and the current plan is to send a list serve out asking for your questions and to publish their responses as we will do the same for our Board Candidates. They have been invited to come to the end of our April annual meeting for a meet and greet with any resident that may want to talk to the candidates. This is all in the works and will let you know when this is finalized.
Golf Course Managers Report: Jen Reuter
This is the first meeting I am reporting to you as the General Manager of the golf club. As I’m sure you are all aware, Pat Sullivan passed away suddenly about a month ago. Pat was an outstanding man and his passing has left a tremendous void at the club. He was a 25 year member of HVGC and became our General Manager about 9 years ago. I worked very closely with Pat over the last three plus years and he and I became fast friends. He truly loved the club and was dedicated to doing whatever he could to help it succeed. I very much miss his help, his jokes, and his genuine friendship, but I hope to be able to pick up where he left off.
Although the calendar says Spring is here…Mother Nature has decided not to cooperate with us this year.
We are already starting off 2018 behind the 8 ball due to the weather. Play is down 720 rounds from where we were last year at this time, so we have a lot of ground to make up once the season really begins. However we are ahead of the game with our Member Dues, with 78% paid to date. For that I am grateful.
Although we have already had 1 tournament, most of our activity thus far has centered around our 19th hole Snack Bar. We have had great success this year with our Friday Lenten fish frys. We have 2 more left in March, but plan on continuing the buffets throughout the year. In April, we will have an Italian night, a taco bar, a pulled pork buffet, and fried chicken. Please consider stopping in and joining us for dinner.
Also, we are planning on having a Thursday evening league which will be open to all Hidden Valley residents and their guests. You will be seeing more on that soon.
We also have a 9 hole golf scramble / poker run planned for April 22. This will include golf, prizes, a dinner buffet, and karaoke hosted by Patrick Julian, the Rod Stewart impersonator and a member of our club. This is also open to HVL Residents and their guests, but space is limited to 36 two person teams. This event should really be a lot of fun!
We are running a Membership promotion during the week of the Masters Tournament, which is the first week in April. This is a $995 introductory rate, which is also the rate offered to HVL residents for their 1st year. If you know someone who is looking to join but is on the fence, the price will never get better than this. This promotion is only good through April 8th, and will not be offered again this year.
Finally, our course is scheduled to be re-rated on May 3rd. Every 10 years or so, the golf course gets re-rated by the Greater Cincinnati Golf Association. This rating helps to ensure an accurate handicap from each of our tees. We have taken this opportunity to add some new tee options to our course. We are adding a shorter set of tees to encourage more novice players, or those who just cannot hit the ball very far anymore, to still come out and be able to enjoy the course. We are also adding 2 sets of combination tees, for a total of 7 options which will now all be rated and handicapped. More options means the course will be more playable, more friendly, and more fun.
We are excited for the possibilities this year brings and are looking forward to the snow melting so we can get out there on the course.
COMMITTEE REPORTS
Judicial Panel: Bruce Plashko
No report
Architecture Committee Report: Phil Heitz
Bond Return approvals since December Meeting
Performance Bonds for Return
Lot # 156H Shaun & Kimberly Myers
Property Address 19994 Lakeview Drive Bond Amount $500.00
City, State, Zip Lawrenceburg, IN 47025 Dues Owed $0
Fine/Fees Owed $0
Lot # 1603H Mark & Melanie Marshall
Property Address 1265 Monteray Circle Bond Amount $500.00
City, State, Zip Lawrenceburg, IN 47025 Dues Owed $0
Fine/Fees Owed $0
Lot # 1625H Eric & Laura Smallwood
Property Address 19542 Knollwood Drive Bond Amount $500.00
City, State, Zip Lawrenceburg, IN 47025 Dues Owed $0
Fine/Fees Owed $0
Signed by Jason Craig, Jesse Jones, Phil Heitz, Dave Hafner and Bruce Keller
Variance request that were signed by the board:
Eric Johnson
Lot # 540H
1214 Skyview Circle
8’ Variance for retaining wall to come off the house and wrap around towards Skyview
Aaron Reininger
Lot # 3143H
1807 Fieldcrest
Variance for 4’ high privacy fence on property line
- Request approval of Variance request for Gordon Weiss allowing him to build a wall over 8 inches with the following caveats.
Gordon Weis, Lot# 2537/2538A, 1753 Cove Circle East, Requesting 10′ Variance to place a retaining wall located on the property line. The variance is for constructing a landscape retaining wall starting at the property line between lots 2538A and 2538B. The wall will be constructed a minimum of six feet from the rear property line. The wall will be an Alan Block wall with concrete footer located as shown in the drawing provided. The top of the Base footer of the wall and the grade leading up to the wall must be a minimum 12” above the level of the summer pool. The opposite end of the new wall must be no closer than a minimum of 12 feet from the rear property line. The Committee recommends the Variance for POA approval if the construction is accomplished according to specifications. Rip rap must be used between the wall and lake.
Motion made by Bill Minnery and seconded by Donna Yetzer for 10’ variance. Motion passed 4-0, 1 absent.
Dave Patterson, Lot # 1533, Dave had questions about the location of the lot line versus the shore line, making sure this would not become a lake front issue. Phil Heitz and Bruce Keller went over the location of the wall and answered Dave’s questions.
Safety, Security & Elections Committee Report: Becky Lortz
Becky reported that their last meeting was very informative. They welcomed Rich Gannon who attended the meeting to talk about his new position with HVL. The committee also discussed the process for the upcoming election to make sure everyone knew the process of counting the ballots for the election.
Lakes & Parks Committee Report: Dave Patterson
Boat size regulations: The task force met again and we decided that it would NOT be a good idea to change the length limits for boats. They will remain at 20 feet for runabouts and 26 feet for pontoons. Part of the problem we saw is that boat manufacturers have evolved hull design to fit the purpose of the boat and what the hull is designed to do. This has made measuring from “front to back” very difficult. We decided it would be better to redefine what the “back” of a boat would be for measurement sake.
So, what we propose is a PROCEDURE:
To measure the length of a Runabout, we will measure from the bow of the boat (minus rub rail, etc.) to the “last point” on a boat where the hull turns up to turn out of the water. This would NOT include swim platforms, jack plates (bolt on or molded in), motors, outdrives, etc.
To measure the length of a Pontoon, take the GREATER of the length of the outside pontoons OR the deck as the measurement of the boat.
Pat Hawkins stated that Lakes & Parks will notify the Board of any rule changes in the future
There was much discussion the size, ages, amount of fish and species of fish in the lake.
The Fish & Game Club has built about 10 structures for the lake. They have about 7 or 8 people who have approved installation of a structure under their dock.
They have approved $500 to build more structures.
Poker Golf Outing will occur in the fall. Look for information on this.
Lakes & Parks continue to work on a proposal for a Marina Shelter.
Marina Parking lot – There is still a need for gravel and grading to move the water away from the wall. Bruce will be checking into this and also putting parking blocks along the wall since the gravel is almost up to the top of the concrete. These will be the standard parking blocks, nothing like the beach parking lot. Work is also needed where Lakeview connects to the parking lot.
Dave also talked about the slips on the dam and is working with Bruce to get this repaired.
The state requested that Lakes & Parks test their plan for lowering the lake. They have been working on this and will put the new procedures in place this fall.
There was much discussion on the procedures of lowering the lake, concerns with the slips on the dam and boat lengths.
- Request a motion for a following Boating Course requirement.
Before a POA member registers a boat for the first time for use on the HVL main lake, they must attend a POA-sponsored Boat Safety Familiarization Course conducted by a current member of the HVL POA Boat Patrol. Schedules for the Familiarization Course may be obtained by contacting the HVL POA office.
First Reading for Boating Course and will be discussed in April’s meeting.
Motion made by Tom Hamilton and seconded by Bill Minnery to accept future discussion on the Boating Course. Motion passed 4-0, 1 absent.
Finance Committee Report: Bruce Keller
John Reininger resigned from the Finance Committee.
- Request Motion to accept Kyle Packer as Chair of the Finance Committee
Motion made by Donna Yetzer and seconded by Tom Hamilton to accept Kyler Packer as Chair of the Finance Committee. Passed 4-0, 1 absent.
Future Planning Committee Report: George Lortz
Future Planning finished the modification of the Community Master Plan (CMP). Final version will be presented to the Board at the April meeting.
They had their business meeting on February 3rdwith 60 people in attendance. They had 5 major items on the agenda. Rich Gannon did a great job presenting his views of the improvements at the meeting. Dave Wismann gave a summary of the improvements to the policies and communication with his security staff. Jenn Donelson did a presentation LUP task force. After the presentations there was an open forum for the guest to give ideas and recommendations. You can find the recordings and presentations on the website.
The committee has been working with the Land Use Plan Task Force. The task force has been doing a great job. A surveyed map has been made and color coded showing Hidden Valley Lake and surrounding areas. They are planning to send out surveys for suggestion on improvements, working environmental and demographic data that affects Hidden Valley and implementing a set of packages for new resident.
- Request a motion to accept Dick Myers and Rich Gannon as new members of the Future Planning Committee.
Motion made by Donna Yetzer and seconded by Tom Hamilton to accept Dick Myers and Rich Gannon as new members of the Future Planning Committee. Passed 4-0, 1 absent.
- Request a motion for a new POA Policy as follows:
“POA amenities exist for the exclusive use of HVL residents and their guests and any proposal for the use of these amenities by non-residents shall come before the HVL Board of Directors for a vote of approval.”
First Reading for new POA Policy and will be discussed in April’s meeting.
Motion made by Tom Hamilton and seconded by Donna Yetzer to accept future discussion on this new POA Policy. Passed 4-0, 1 absent.
There was much discussion on the POA Amenities Policy.
Civic Club: Karen Plogsted
4/21/18: Trivia Night; Willie’s lower level from 6:00pm-9:00pm
6/16/18: Blast from the Past Summer Party, Shelter at the Ballpark Field from 7:00pm-11:00pm
8/4/18: Luau, HVL Beach from 7:00pm-Midnight
Our goal is to hold an event every other month.
Old Business:
None
New Business:
Pat Hawkins reminded everyone of the Annual Board Meeting on Thursday, April 26, 2018.
There was a discussion on changing the Annual Meeting to Saturday’s in the future.
Motion to adjourn by Bill Minnery and seconded by Donna Yetzer. Motion passed unanimously.
Adjournment: 8:45 pm
Minutes Prepared by Gina
Minutes published in this paper are abbreviated and a full account can be heard online at:
www.hiddenvalleylakeindiana.com