Board of Directors Minutes 4/28/22

HIDDEN VALLEY LAKE PROPERTY OWNER’S ASSOCIATION

BOARD OF DIRECTORS ANNUAL MEETING

Thursday, April 28, 2022

APPROVED

April 28, 2022 Motions:

Approval of March 2022 Minutes—Board Secretary
Approval of Performance Bonds for Return 04/28/2022—Architecture Committee
Motion for Approval of lot split bylaw change (Second Reading)—Architecture Committee
Request Approval of fence bylaw change (Second Reading)—Architecture Committee
Motion to Approve January, February, and March Financial Statements for the POA; January, February, and March Financial Statements for the Golf Course; Acceptance of the 2021 Year-End Audit for the combined entity of the POA and the Golf Course; and to add Larry Hereth to the Finance Committee—Finance Committee
Motion to Approve changes to the Security Center—Future Planning Committee
Request for an Amendment to the new Boat Canopy Rule to add maximum measurements into the rule to ease approvals (Second Reading)—Lakes Committee
Motion to Adjourn

Call to Order: Scott Giska

President Scott Giska called the Board of Directors meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.

Pledge of Allegiance:

The meeting began with the Pledge of Allegiance.

President’s Report: The State of the Valley

Election Results: First of all, thank you to Ginny Boyer and her team for running our election again this Spring. From the outside looking in, it looks straightforward. However, with the process and oversight that the Election Team brings us, we are confident that every board election is fair, equitable, and consistent for all candidates. As you all know, Brian Bays and Ken Horn were the candidates to replace David Hafner, who has provided us with absolutely stellar contributions since his appointment two years ago. Thank you, Dave!

And now for the results:

We had a pretty typical involvement, with a total of 529 votes cast equaling about 25% of our membership.

Placing 2^nd with 185 votes was Brian Bays.

Your new Board Member for the next three years, with 344 votes, is Ken Horn. Congratulations, Ken. We are pleased you will come join the very challenging FUN with us!

As a reminder from previous communications, and by following our bylaws and pattern over the last 10 years, the new board will meet next week to work on appointing our fifth member replacing Steve Siereveld who has submitted his written resignation effective at the end of tonight’s meeting. We will also vote on officers of the new board. Steve, I wish we could have had your energy, insight, and ideas for all three years!

Moving on to accomplishments from last year, and looking forward into our new board year, please allow me to highlight key accomplishments from the board’s view. It is never easy replacing a legend like Coach K at Duke as Jon Scheyer, the new head coach has already learned, but I have had the advantage of still having Pat Hawkins coaching me weekly. We have worked hard the last year to keep what has worked historically and bring about changes and new ideas to meet the needs of our ever-evolving community.

Here a few key accomplishments based on working smarter, more focused, and with a greater sense of urgency. It’s volunteer work that saves the community tons of money, but it should still be fun, aligned, and focused.

1) Thank you to Linda Hartmann for working with us to enhance the environmental and safety focus for our successful deer cull. Reducing the number of hunters and moving away from more populated areas of our community is the best “middle position” we can have regardless of your personal thoughts. The cull is about safety for homeowners and the health of our herd.

2) We kicked off our Leadership Council successfully a couple week ago to bring together our committee chairs for shared learning and better alignment of our community strategies. Our first two key initiatives will enhance budget planning for next year and provide a deep look at how we recruit, select, and retain quality volunteers for critical positions.

3) We have talked often about doing things right the first time and within budget. We have made great progress in this area. We are also working with a greater sense of urgency to get projects completed based on a desired completion date. More discipline and more focus are our strategies that are getting better every day. We will not begin any key projects without an agreed work plan and budget we must stay within.

4) We are making improved infrastructure happen. Overall, our fiber optics installation is going well with improvements we make daily. VRUC has a plan in place to help solve, in phases, our very old water infrastructure. I know we have been having electrical issues, so Jeff Fuell has taken the lead to work directly with REMC to improve communications on planned or intermittent outages. Your board is meeting with REMC tomorrow afternoon to solve the most recent challenges. Please be patient with us as some days we must work backwards to move forward.

If you have an issue, PLEASE CALL THE POA OFFICE! The issues don’t get solved on Facebook.

Our challenges moving forward are the same challenges you face at home such as rising inflation and costs, plus labor shortages for key projects and standard annual work we all count on. I would also add, we must put a better process in place for recruiting the volunteers of tomorrow and setting clearer expectations for every committee that supports the board’s efforts. We have six to twelve volunteers who have committed countless hours for years. Many of them will speak tonight or are sitting with us here in the audience. THANK YOU to every volunteer in HVL! As we move forward tonight, we have targeted 90 minutes and will limit questions and dialogue. Tonight is a celebration of results, people, and where we are headed!

Treasurer’s Report: Jeff Fuell

Financial Position for the month of March 2022:

Our Cash Position on March 1, 2022—$ 998,874.00

Ending Cash on March 31, 2022—$ 889,692.00

Note:

All amounts are rounded to the nearest dollar.
HVL POA plans annually for a balanced budget. (i.e., anticipated annual expenses are planned to not exceed anticipated annual income)
Some infrequent expenses are predictable such as replacement of vehicles, maintenance of our roads, the many lake dams, swimming pool liner, lake dredging etc. Funds are escrowed each year to cover those future expenses and are included in the totals.
Projected cash at year end is generally equal to zero dollars plus escrowed funds for above mentioned expenses as well as necessary reserves. Reserves include two months of operating capital, capital for asset purchases, and Architecture bond payments to be refunded.
All financials will be audited by an outside auditor annually.

March 2022 Notes:

The Finance Committee meeting in April included reviewing the final draft 2021 report with the auditors. The committee had multiple questions during the review with acceptable answers from the auditors.

The Finance Committee continues working on long-term escrow planning while working with committee and task force input.

With the high cost of crude oil, blacktop is extremely high. For this reason, the Finance Committee is in favor of only taking care of the absolute necessary road repairs for the 2022 budget year.

Secretary’s Report: Patricia Hawkins

Motion for Approval of the March 2022 Minutes was made by Jeff Fuell and seconded by Dave Hafner. Motion passed 5-0.

Vice President – Golf Report: Dave Hafner

Community Manager’s Report: Dave Wismann

Annual Report

The staff has focused on maintenance items such as painting, repairing, reworking, and foundational work and will continue to do so over the next year. The office staff is focusing on processes—making your experience easier and faster. None of this is pretty and, in fact, can be somewhat messy. However, it is work that must be done to create a foundation for the future.

I am so proud of the staff for accomplishing so much over the last year! The office staff has dealt with the difficult installation of a data management system, the maintenance team has stretched their limits to finish off some very difficult projects and our security team has been completely overhauled.

We look forward to the cart path work at the golf course as the club has seen increased growth in membership and rounds played. The staff and maintenance crew are excited about the new energy at the course!

Office

This is our busiest time of the year at the office. Please have patience with the staff and have your paperwork ready when you come in. If you are renewing your stickers for a boat or golf cart, you must have your insurance liability form.

You will need the new ID card to visit the pool or beach. Please get your card now since the closer we get to Memorial Day and the Fourth of July, the busier the office will be.

Finally, remember the staff does not make the rules. They are expected to follow them. If you have an issue with any of our rules, please see me to discuss them.

Security

We continue to experience gaps in coverage due to a manpower shortage. Lead Deputy Compton has resigned, and Adam Boesken has taken his place as a Special Deputy. We have brought several part-time security officers on board who have experience and training, and I have interviewed others who may be joining us soon. I am sorry for any inconvenience this has caused, and I thank you for your patience.

Infrastructure Management (Presented by Mike Morman)

We are in the final stages of preparing the roads plan for 2022 by means of working with the Roads Task Force and our consultant. This year, the focus for repairs to the roads will be areas that have ruts or are showing signs of depression (lots of spider cracks). We are opening the bids for this work to be done over the summer. The team will begin looking at the other roads to determine if any repairs are needed and, depending on the bids, we will recommend fixing as many of these areas as possible.

The task force recommended purchasing a crack fill machine so our maintenance team can do this task when needed. The cost of a used machine is under $55,000, if one can be found. They also recommend the purchase of two traffic counters to assess road usage and speeds. Members are researching counter costs.

Next year’s focus will be areas not covered in this year’s work and beginning the repair of areas with minor spider cracking and single line cracks with the final goal being to put a 1″ – 1.5″ final course overlay.

Road Bids Received:

Rohe Asphalt $123,713.33

Julius Howe $106,050.00

Westside Paving $56,670.00

Rack and Ballauer $160,750.00

The Roads Task Force will review the bids and report to the community manager.

Willie’s Docks

I sent out a Request for Quotation (RFQ) to complete the floating docks as concrete docks that are similar to the disability docks. We are still evaluating other possibilities such as reskinning the old docks.

Erosion Control

The Roads Task Force is asking for volunteers who would be willing to train to be spotters for our ditching efforts. This will be a time commitment of only a couple of afternoons. These volunteers will be given a short training session and a specific area to observe standing water and ditching problems in that area to help compile a report which will be used to create a plan to make necessary repairs and replacements to culverts and ditches. Please email me if you are interested.

Golf Course

The cart paths are on the list for the contractor to complete this summer. This work is usually done in July or August depending on the weather.

Update on Fiber Optics

Project	Road Name	Estimated Footage	Estimated Start	Estimated Finish	Notes
HV04	Morningside Rd	1080′ UG	3/2/2022	4/29/2022	Need small drill for road crossings. All other drilling is complete

Project	Road Name	Estimated Footage	Estimated Start	Estimated Finish
HV03B	Parr DR	2000	2/24/2022	4/29/2022
HV03B	Hickory RD	3690	4/6/2022	5/6/2022
HV03B	Knollwood DR	1860	4/18/2022	5/6/2022
HV03B	Longview DR	3440	4/21/2022	5/13/2022
HV03B	Hampton DR	2160	4/18/2022	5/6/2022

Pool Liner Bid

RenoSys $90,230.00

The community manager will schedule installation with the company. The installation will occur after the 2022 season.

Status of Willie’s Roof

The engineers have approved a pattern and, as a precaution, I have sent out an RFQ to reinstall the roof over the bar area and the seating area.

Memorial Day

Rich Gannon has been working with the team for the Memorial Day ceremony which will be, as always, a great event.

COMMITTEE AND CLUB REPORTS:

Architecture Committee Report: Bob Maudlin

Presentation given regarding the Architecture process

Performance Bonds for Return 4/28/2022:

Lot # 2283H Daniel Bihn

Property Address 1684 Liesl Court Bond Amount $2000.00

City, State, Zip Lawrenceburg, IN 47025 Dues Owed $0

Fine/Fees Owed $0

Lot # 1142H Mark & Anita Michelle Scott

Property Address 20363 Meercham Way Bond Amount $500.00

City, State, Zip Lawrenceburg, IN 47025 Dues Owed $0

Fine/Fees Owed $0

Lot # 1608H Kelly & Derrick Barnes

Property Address 1145 Monteray Circle Bond Amount $500.00

City, State, Zip Lawrenceburg, IN 47025 Dues Owed $0

Fine/Fees Owed $0

Lot # 1446H Randy & Mary Juenke

Property Address 607 Aspen Hill Court Bond Amount $500.00

City, State, Zip Lawrenceburg, IN 47025 Dues Owed $0

Fine/Fees Owed $0

Motion for Approval of Performance Bonds for Return 04/28/2022 made by Dave Hafner and seconded by Jeff Fuell. Motion passed 5-0.

Lot Split Bylaw Change

(1) Current bylaw reads as follows:

4-4-41. Lot Splits

Proposed lot splits must be presented to the Architecture Committee along with re-drawn, surveyor signed plot plans including existing structures. The Board of Directors gives the final approval for all lot splits. A split lot does not change the lakefront designation of said lot.

Requested change:

4-4-41. Lot Splits

a. Proposed lot splits must be presented to the Architecture Committee with an Indiana Registered surveyor signed plot plan including all existing structures on the lot being split. The Board of Directors gives the final approval for all lot splits. A split lot does not change the lakefront designation of said lot.

b. Proposed lot split lines must be straight.

c. Architecture Committee may review adjacent plot plans for potential setback issues.

d. Future projects will require lots to be contiguous and a new revised plot plan prepared by a licensed Indiana Registered surveyor must be provided by the property owner to the POA.

Request for Approval of lot split bylaw change (Second Reading). Moved to next month’s meeting for approval.

Fence Bylaw Change

(2) Current bylaw reads as follows:

4-13-3. Location and Height of Fences

a. Fences may follow the property line and must be located in the back yard with few exceptions and must not extend past the back corner of the dwelling closest to the road, which includes corner lots. (The area a fence may occupy will hereinafter be referred to as the “buildable part”).

b. Fences must not exceed four (4) feet in height if decorative and six (6) feet in height if for privacy.

Requested change:

4-13-3. Location and Height of Fences

b. Fences may not exceed six (6) feet in height if for privacy. All fences exceeding four (4) feet in height must be located in the buildable portion of the lot.

Request Approval of fence bylaw change (Second Reading). Moved to next month’s meeting for approval.

Finance Committee: Kyle Packer

Motion to Approve January, February, and March Financial Statements for the POA; January, February, and March Financial Statements for the Golf Course; Acceptance of the 2021 Year-End Audit for the combined entity of the POA and the Golf Course; and to add Larry Hereth to the Finance Committee made by Dave Hafner and seconded by Jeff Fuell. Motions passed 5-0.

Task Force working with the Roads Task Force on erosion control issues and costs

Future Planning Committee: George Lortz

Community Master Plan, Land Use Plan, and Bylaws
Facilitating POA Town Hall Meetings

What is the POA Future Planning Committee?

The Future Planning Committee has had a very busy twelve months and many thanks go to the eight committee members and task force volunteers for all their many hours of help.

As the name implies, the Future Planning Committee (FP) is responsible for, and focuses its attention and efforts on, projects that will contribute to updates to POA amenities, documentation, and services. The committee views itself as a planning assistant for the POA Board.

To provide additional manpower and to involve other HVL residents, three task forces have been formed by the committee. These task forces include the 50th Anniversary Celebration Task Force, the Communications Task Force and the Front Entrance Improvements Task Force. Here is a partial list of work recently completed or in progress:

• The HVL 50th Anniversary Celebration Task Force, which is chaired by Pat Hawkins, is focusing its efforts on all the events surrounding the POA 2022 anniversary year. Already completed are three events – the Pioneer’s Gathering on December 10^th, the Polar Bear Dip on January 1^st, and the Pub Crawl event on March 5^th. In the case of the Polar Bear Dip and the Pub Crawl event, the task force worked in partnership with the HVL Civic Club. Watch for more 50^th Anniversary events to be announced during this year.

Also, this year they have installed a commemorative banner, designed by Jeff Dickman, at the front entrance and commemorative flags on five HVL flagpoles. The task force was presented a 50th Anniversary Commemorative Citation by the Dearborn County Commissioners. An initial set of commemorative t-shirts were ordered and sold out quickly and more of this type of offering is planned during the year.

The Communications Task Force, which is chaired by Rich Gannon, has been focusing its efforts on three major initiatives – 1) providing community-wide, fiber optics-based, high-speed Internet access; 2) improving the POA website; and 3) implementing Echoes enhancements. Other tasks have also been completed including adding Zoom (on-line) conferencing to POA functions, updating the Community Center meeting room communications features, and adding texting as a new function of HVL communications.

The task force, which includes Pat Hawkins and Jeff Fuell from the POA Board, wrote and released an RFQ document for fiber optics service and participated in making the final vendor selection. As HVL residents have observed, the vendor chosen, SEI/Communications, has already started the installation of the major fiber optics cabling.

Task Force members Doug Gabbard and Rich Gannon are involved in an on-going effort to improve the POA website which includes redoing the organization, simplifying usage, and adding much needed content.

The Communications Task Force created an Echoes Editorial Staff, which is involved in all aspects of creating a quality Echoes product. Many improvements were needed and, in addition to writing articles, the Editorial Staff has also been focusing on reorganizing the newspaper, improving the quality of the print, and determining the community’s preferences for Echoes content.

The Front Entrance Improvements Task Force, which is chaired by Dee Hacker, is hard at work; 1) determining the need for modernizing the front entrance on State Line Road; 2) creating sample design ideas; and 3) obtaining input from various local vendors. No budgeting was done in 2021 for any significant expenditures for 2022; however, some less expensive work this year may still be possible. The task force’s goal is to complete a draft design of the front entrance including identified costs in time for the 2023 budgeting process and focus on some immediate minor improvements to the newly named Security Center (formerly the guard shack).

Motion to Approve changes to the Security Center made by Jeff Fuell and seconded by Dave Hafner. Motion passed 5-0.

Updating and improving POA documentation is a function of the committee that is ongoing, which includes the Community Master Plan (CMP), the Land Use Plan (LUP) and bylaws maintenance. The Future Planning Committee has notified all POA standing committees, the POA Board, and the POA staff of their willingness to assist in any needed documentation changes. Several committees and staff members have already indicated their interest in this offer and some work has already been completed during the last twelve months.

The Future Planning Committee is also able to help facilitate town hall meetings. The most recent one was the Fiber Optics Town Hall Meeting, which was held on April 7^th. Other possible subjects are being considered and, with the help of the Communications Task Force, a number of different options are available for site, format, and type of communication needed.

If any of these areas of community involvement are of interest to you, the Future Planning Committee hopes that you will contact us through the POA Office and indicate your willingness to help in either committee work in general or specific task force activities.

Lakes Committee: Eric Fox

Business

Second reading of the canopy rule amendment
Lake clean-up

Amendment to the Boat Canopy Rule

Current bylaw reads as follows:

4-12-6. Covers on Docks or Boat Lifts

i. A dock may not have covers;

ii. A boatlift may have a ShoreStation Revolution frame and canopy cover as recommended and approved by the Architecture Committee.

Requested Changes:

4-12-6. Covers on Docks or Boat Lifts

i. A dock may not have covers;

ii. A boatlift may have a ShoreStation Revolution frame and canopy cover as recommended and approved by the Architecture Committee.

Canopies can have the following maximums: length 30 feet, width 10 feet, height 10 feet above summer pool, overhang to aft sufficient to cover the outboard/IO motor or swim platform. Style and colors are subject to the application held in the POA Office.

Motion for an Amendment to the new Boat Canopy Rule to add maximum measurements into the rule to ease approvals from Architecture made by Dave Hafner and seconded by Steve Siereveld. Motion passed 5-0.

Lake Clean-Up

The clean-up is May 15. You must pre-register no later than May 6.

Accomplishments in the Past Year

Improvements around the marina like shelter/bathrooms
Paving at the handicap/pickup ramp
More kayak racks
Improved fish populations—we really began to see our efforts bear fruit.

Volunteer Kudos

Wayne Reese – for working on our clean-up day
Cody Janzen/ Jill Bittner – for working on our new boat canopy rule
Jon Dutton/Ken Horn – for the work between Lakes and Fish & Game to enhance the fishery

Goals for 2022

Willies floating dock replacement
Erosion control
Small lakes enhancements
Investigating Eco Harvester as a potential fit for HVL

Parks Committee Report: Amy Ayers-Wilson

Pool update
- New vacuum has been ordered
- Repairs to liner leak
- Task force for opening day
- Clean-up sessions
- Memorial plaques remounted

Beach update
- Blower to clear debris from walking paths and shelter
- Update for guard chair and umbrella

Nature trail update
- Continued work on new section – raking, widening of trails, and signage

Pool Update: (Nora Humphrey-Pool Manager)

Open House events: June 25^th, July 23^rd, and August 20^th

Safety, Security, & Elections Committee Report: Don Norris

Committee member Pat Sutton was recognized and thanked for her service
Rewrite of the Board of Director’s Election procedures and the creation of a new candidate application
Stop sign placement within HVL
Animal abuse issues
Golf cart policy

Civic Club: Denice Siereveld

The coming year will include as many great events as last year and more:

Polar Bear Plunge
Pub Crawl
Summer Pool Parties
Lake Float
Luau
Weekend Labor Day Bash – whole weekend to include the 50^th Anniversary / bands / food trucks and more
Halloween Party
Jingle Jam

A huge thank you to active members especially Jessica Howell, Brian Bays, and Kevin Grosse.

Judicial Panel: Rick Paul

Summary of the Judicial Panel: review of the past seven years of citations

Doerflein Award: Presented by Scott Giska

Every year at our annual meeting, the Board of Directors presents the Doerflein Award to a Hidden Valley Lake volunteer, and in tonight’s case an HVL icon!

The Doerflein Award, established to honor and remember James G. Doerflein, has been presented annually since 1992. That makes tonight the 30th year it has been rewarded, in our 50th Anniversary year! …Sweet round numbers…

The award reads: “For outstanding service and community dedication. Awarded annually to the Hidden Valley Lake property owner whose leadership, creativity, or enhancement of community preeminence has resulted in the year’s most significant contribution to community excellence.”

This year, the Board of Directors is pleased to present this award to Mr. Robert Starks for incredible, consistent service for 20 years…let that sink in, 20 years! Let me share a few pics as they tell an amazing story, then I’ll share a few of his most amazing accomplishments.

Bob moved to HVL in 1998, and within a year or two he was a contributing member of the Architecture (served as chair) and Finance Committees. After years of serving on both committees, Bob was elected to the Board of Directors in 2007. He served on the board (including some time as board president) until April of 2022.

During over 15 years of service on the Board of Directors, Bob made numerous and significant contributions to the fiscal health, smooth operation, and beautification of Hidden Valley Lake. The contributions are many:

ïBob advocated for, and was the primary driver of, our hiring a property tax attorney whose work netted an $850,000 property tax refund for Hidden Valley Lake. The proceeds of this refund were used to retire the mortgage on the POA Building.

ïBob worked hand in hand with the community manager to renegotiate our contract with Rumpke. The new contract yielded significant cost savings for Hidden Valley Lake.

ïBob headed up the RFQ process for the mowing of our green spaces. This cut our mowing costs by about 50% a year.

ïBob spearheaded the development of what is known as “The 15% Rule” and championed its inclusion in our bylaws. Simply put, we could not spend more than 15% of our annual budget on aggregated, discretionary capital expenditures without a vote of the community. Its inclusion in the bylaws ensures that this board, and all future boards, has a needed check on spending.

ïBob worked with our then community manager (Bruce Keller) to develop job descriptions for all Hidden Valley Lake employees.

ïBob always believed that our amenities should be maintained to a high standard and, using his own “sweat equity”, put that belief into action. He was one of a handful of people who stick built the guard shack at the beach, made major aesthetic improvements to the golf course clubhouse, and upgraded our community shelters.

As his accomplishments illustrate, Bob’s body of volunteer work over many years qualifies him and made him a shoo in for our highest volunteer honor. Bob and Bonnie have recently endured a significant loss in their family, so I hope tonight you can feel the pride of your work, and the love many feel for you in this room!

Bob, on behalf of the Board of Directors, congratulations and thank you for everything you have done and continue to do. To honor your work. we will be donating to whatever charity or cause you desire in your name. Your name will be added to the plaque in the POA office front entrance with 29 other winners.

Bob shared a few words to wrap-up a great evening!