Hidden Valley Lake POA Board of Directors Minutes – November 29, 2018

HIDDEN VALLEY LAKE PROPERTY OWNERS ASSOCIATION

BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING MINUTES

Thursday, November 29, 2018 7 PM

Unapproved

 

November Motions:

  • Approval of October 2018 Minutes. Board Secretary.
  • Request approval of Bond Returns. Architectural Committee.
  • Request approval of 15 foot rear setback variance for lot # 802H/803.
  • Request approval of October, 2018 Financial Statements. Finance Committee.
  • Request a motion approving the following change to the By-Laws concerning Lot Splits and requiring a new survey of the affected property. (First Reading)
  • Request a motion approving a change to the By-Laws requiring that all houses meet a minimum of 1,200 Square foot on the main floor living area for new homes. (First Reading)
  • Request a motion approving a change to the By-Laws limiting the size of a detached building/garage to 50 percent of the main floor living area square footage or 900 square feet, whichever is less. (First Reading)
  • Request approval for the change of the Bylaw definition for HVL POA member in good standing. (In Yellow) (Second and Final Reading)
  • Request approval of the following changes in our Nomination process.(Requires only one reading)
  • Request approval of the following Rule change concerning signs. (First Reading)

 

Call To Order:  Patricia Hawkins

 

Pledge of Allegiance: Patricia Hawkins

 

President Patricia Hawkins called the November 29, 2018 Board of Director Meeting to order at 7:00pm

 

The meeting began with the Pledge of Allegiance.

 

Presidents Report: Patricia Hawkins

 

The board would like to start this evening’s meeting by once again thanking the members of our Land Use Task Force for their excellent work on the Land Use Survey and the property owners who provided valuable data as to their preferences.  We look forward to the Land Use Task Force formally presenting their findings to the board at some future board meeting.

 

I would like to share with you the board’s thinking on next steps.  Once the data have been formally presented, we plan to establish task forces to evaluate the top few survey items.  The task forces, reporting to the Lakes and Parks Committee, would consider all aspects of the potential amenity including its design, estimated cost, and funding source. We will formally solicit the community for volunteers once the Land Use Task Force makes its formal presentation.

 

As you may recall, we acquired several building lots, located on the golf course, when we purchased it back in 2015. These lots were already zoned for residential use and had a limited number of water taps already in place.  After much discussion, the board has elected to pursue a sale of these lots for the purpose of developing condominiums or patio homes.  Over the years, we have heard many times that property owners love our community and leave it reluctantly when they downsize or look for a home that requires less maintenance and upkeep.

 

We believe that selling these lots, and allowing them to be developed in this manner, would be a win/win— current property owners looking for a smaller or lower maintenance home could stay in the community and Hidden Valley Lake could attract new residents who are looking for something other than a single-family home.

We have not yet finalized the process we will use when selling and developing this land.  However, we wanted property owners to know of our interest in doing so.  We will share more information with you as we make this determination.

 

Treasurers report:   Robert Starks

 

All amounts are rounded to the nearest dollar.

Financial Position as of the end of October, 2018

Beginning Cash on September 1, 2018, $1,599,863.00

Ending Cash on September 31, 2018, $1,468,269.00

Beginning Cash on October 1, 2018, $1, 468,269.00

Ending Cash on October 31, 2018, $1,341,548.00

Secretary’s Report: Donna Yetzer

 

  • Approval of October 25, 2018 Board of Directors Minutes.

 

Motion made by Robert Starks and seconded by Scott Giska to approve the October 25, 2018 Meeting Minutes.  Motion passed unanimously.

 

Community Managers Report: Bruce Keller

 

I want to remind everyone of our Holiday Schedule.  We will be closed on the afternoon of December 20 and closed the 24th, 25thand 26thof December as well as the 1stof January.

 

Our regular paving program will not happen this year, but our drag patching will be done within the next two weeks as weather permits, and yes this includes the corner of Longview and Alpine.

 

Striping is continuing until we are finished and as weather permits.  If the sun is out and the temps are over 40, we are painting.  The better news is since we own a professional painting machine, we can paint in future years as needed.  I will be wanting input from the community on the quality of the lines. Our machine allows us to apply the paint with reflective beads, making it more visible after dark.

 

Bids for the new docks are due to my office tomorrow.  I have had 4 phone call concerning the docks, but only one company has made the required visit to our site.  An open meeting will be scheduled for Bid opening and the community will be invited.

Within the next 3 weeks you should see a temporary siphoning system put in near the sluice gate.  If it works the way we believe it will, we may put a permanent one in sometime in 2019.

 

We are working on the final adjustments for the Marina Shelter, upper beach shelter bathrooms and the tie in of the lower beach buildings RFQ and you should see this sent out to contractors, put on our website and sent out on list serve next week.

 

 

Golf Course Managers Report: Jen Reuter

 

Well it’s that time of year again.  When the snow appears, activity at the golf club comes to a screeching halt.  Keep in mind that we are open all year, weather permitting.  Just last weekend, over 170 people came out and enjoyed the sunshine and the course.

 

According to the National Golf Foundation, the rounds in our region of the country are down 10% this year, mainly because the precipitation in our region was up 239%.  We fared a little better than the average course in our region being down only 7.5% in rounds from last year.  The drop in rounds did affect the income, but because of the “Rhonda factor” (which I will explain in a minute), our gross income was down less than 2%. Additionally, we were able to control our expenses very well this year, so our net income through the 3rd quarter was not even $1,000 less than the same period last year.

 

The colder weather brings on something completely different in the Pro Shop….Deals, deals and more deals!  If you have a golfer on your Christmas list, it would be worth your while to stop by and see us.  All clothes and shoes are at least 20% off.  We have some great deals on clubs and club sets too.  Additionally, we have brought back our discounted 10-play pass.  You can choose 10 rounds of 18 hole golf for $300, or 10 rounds of 9 hole golf for $175, carts included.  Each of these can be applied dollar for dollar to your membership if you decide to join by December of 2019.

 

Quite a few people have taken advantage of our Fall Membership special already.  As a Hidden Valley resident, you can join the club at an introductory rate of $995. That applies to your first year and is good for either a single or a family membership.  For a non-resident, it is still only $1,100 for the first year. If you are a golfer and have been thinking about joining us, there is no better time to stop by the club and check us out, as this price is only guaranteed through the end of December.

 

As a reminder, the golf club is a drop off site for the Coalition for Children’s Christmas Toys.  Our Christmas tree is up, and the generosity of the club members and HVL residents alike has already been very evident.  If you have not yet donated and would like to do so, there is still time. We will be accepting new, unwrapped toys and games until December 10.  Help us help the Clearinghouse bring the Christmas spirit to local kids who might not be looking at a very bright Christmas this year.

 

Now, back to the “Rhonda factor”…

Rhonda and Patrick Kropewnicki joined the golf club in 2015, the same year they moved into Hidden Valley.  In 3 short years, they have definitely left their mark.

I’m sure you’ve all heard the sayings “Be the change that you wish to see in the world”, and “Leave it better than you found it”.  Well Rhonda and Patrick live by those words daily.

 

Earlier this Spring, Rhonda decided it would be nice to have some flowers to pretty up the course.  Instead of talking about it, she went and bought some perennials (approximately 300), planted them on her own, and maintained them on her own-all year…and that was just the beginning.  She and Patrick were instrumental in putting together a number of fantastic social events we had at the golf course.  We had the Rod Stewart Illusion (Patrick, by the way, does a better “Rod Stewart” than Rod Stewart himself) Then came our first Golf Poker Run.  When our Men’s Invitational was cancelled, Rhonda came forward and said she would put something together to take its place. Within a few weeks, she had put together a hugely successful Swinging Summer Scramble, with fabulous prizes, a sponsored dinner, and a hole in one car as well.  She beefed up the “Grip it and Sip it” outing with all of those items again, but somehow managed to bring an ice cream truck…with free ice cream.  “Rod Stewart” showed up yet again for “The Concert on the Green”, bringing with him an outdoor stage, spotlights, a sound man, and Tim Goldrainer from the Menus.  It was a no small feat to pull that off, and it was a blast.  If you’re impressed, and you should be, just wait to see what she has up her sleeve for next year!

 

As you can see, one person’s efforts can definitely make a difference.  We are so grateful that she has chosen to make that difference here, in Hidden Valley, and we at the golf club give her a heartfelt “Thank you”.  The Board of Directors has also recognized Rhonda and Patrick for their efforts and would like to thank them both as well.

 

 

COMMITTEE and Club REPORTS:

 

Judicial Panel: Bruce Keller

 

  • Appeal of speeding citation fine of $243.50 for Kathleen Busken

 

Kathleen Busken attended the meeting to appeal her citation and wanted to know how HVL comes up with the cost of the $243.50 ticket. Bruce explained that our fines should match the cost of the counties fines.  Kathleen did some research on the cost of the tickets around the Lawrenceburg, Dearborn and Harrison area.

 

The Board will have to speak to the officer that gave Kathleen the citation and then they will send a letter to Kathleen with the decision on the cost of the ticket.

 

Lakes Committee Report: Dave Patterson

 

Jim Conner had indicated that he had to resign from the committee due to conflicts with other obligations that were scheduled for the same time as our meetings.  Dave also indicated that Jim would not be replaced because the committee size was set at 10 many years ago.  Jim was added to the committee to replace Bill Cox.  George Lortz was brought on to represent the Parks and Recreation committee after that committee was merged with the Lakes Committee.  At that time, we said that as openings occurred we would try and fill them with members from the Parks and Rec Committee in order to maintain representation and focus from that area, but we didn’t want to exceed the size of 10.

 

No action was taken at the meeting. George was going to contact the members from the old Parks and Rec committee to see if there were any who still had any interest in being on the Lakes and Parks Committee.

 

A motion was made and passed to accept Jim’s resignation.

 

The emergency overflow at Crystal Lake should be completed in several weeks, depending on weather.  It will be a grassed over swale to control overflow should the lake level approach the top of the dam.

 

Sluice Gate Bridge Project update – Still waiting for the paving project to commence so that we can add asphalt to complete ramp.

Marina layout – No change.  Waiting for responses from vendors.

 

Fish Study – The main item on the agenda was the Fish Survey.  The full report is available at the POA office.

 

There was quite a bit of discussion regarding the report and the recommendations.  We will be discussing it further at the next meeting before we make any formal recommendations to the board regarding size and quantity limits.

 

Overall, they recommended that we continue with the slot limit to remove the largemouth bass between 9 and 13 inches.  This has always been difficult to enforce.  It was suggested that perhaps we could set up a program to move any bass in this length range to one or more of the smaller lakes, perhaps Crystal or Kathy.  However, before we undertake a program like this we need to have a study done of the small lake to determine the fish population make up of that lake. We don’t want to create additional problems in the small lakes.

 

They also recommended that we continue to add additional structure, and continue with spot treatment for weeds in the summer. They had additional recommendations regarding quantity and size limits that we will be discussing.  They also mentioned a feeding program for pan fish, adding shiners as forage fish, and planting of preferred emergent species of aquatic plants in shallow, un-used areas of the lake. These topics will also be discussed further.

 

They also recommended that the Fish and Game Club keep statistics from their tournaments and submit the data to ATAC for incorporation into their analyses.  Dave and Tom agreed that they could and that they would contact Chris Ludwig regarding this.

 

Marina Parking Lot marking – Waiting for suggestions from our engineer, Peter Soltys.    We will do more investigating into this and the associated cost.

 

New cameras   – Bruce is considering them for the front entrance, the marina, other entrances, and playgrounds.

 

Deer cull – At the time of the meeting, 16 deer had been taken. We will do another count when we have a good snow.

 

Lake Draw down – Still waiting for the lake to reach normal winter pool.  We are looking at several options/locations for the process.  We only want to lower the lake by a foot per week at a maximum. We will maintain the lower lake level until the docks at the marina are replaced.  We also discussed keeping the lake at no wake while the lake is at the lower level.  If we get it back to normal winter pool, then we could go back to the regular cycle. We still need to be sure that anyone who had a geothermal system in the lake was notified and that they were able to take appropriate steps to insure their systems weren’t damaged and continued to function as required.

Scott Mason, Lot # 2224, asked for an explanation on siphoning the water out of the lake.

 

Bill Blantz, Lot # 85H/86, Talked about lowering the lake and water flowing down toward VRUC.

 

There was some discussion on lowering the lake 2 to 3 feet below winter pool.

 

Main dam – Bruce noticed evidence of moles on the face of the dam.  Maintenance has placed about a half a dozen mole traps on the visible tunnels.  Bruce has also investigated special worms for the dam that are poisonous for the moles.  He is also planning on rolling the dam.

 

Future Planning: Richard Myers

 

LUP Task Force Activity– A presentation of the detailed results, analysis and recommendations of the Land Use Survey will be made available ASAP.  There has been steady progress toward the draft copy of the Land Use Plan and the Task Force is on target to have it finished by year end.

 

Community Education Offerings– The FP Committee has sent emails to the POA committee chairs requesting their ideas for possible subjects for educational offerings about the POA and HVL.  We have received a few suggestions to date and plan to have an article about the subject in the December issue of The Echoes.  Information about how to submit ideas will be explained in the article.

 

Community Master Plan Update– To date, the Committee has received no suggested changes for next year’s version of the CMP.  The deadline for submitting these changes will be the end of January.

 

POA Communications Projects– Rich Gannon continues to provide new and innovative approaches to HVL communications and is continually revising the POA website to make it easier to use and up-to-date.

 

Pat Hawkins asked when the annual Community Master Plan Business Meeting will be held.  Future Planning is looking at the end of February, early March.

 

Finance Committee Report: Jen Reuter

 

  • Request approval of October, 2018 Financial Statements.

 

There was no Financial Meeting for the month of November.  We will request approval of the October, 2018 Financials with the November Financials.

 

  • Request approval for the change of the Bylaw definition for HVL POA member in good standing.  (In Yellow) (Second and Final Reading)
  • j. HVL POA member in good standing – Any HVL POA member whose dues andassessments are current, or has a payment plan that will bring them current in no more than 12 months, and have made at least 3 monthly payments on time.  If at any time the payments are not met, the member will no longer be considered a member in good standing.(Second and Final Reading)

 

Motion made by Robert Starks and seconded by Donna Yetzer to approve the Second and Final Reading for the change of the Bylaw definition. Motion passed unanimously.

 

Architecture Committee Report:  Dave Hafner

 

  • Request approval of Bond Returns.

 

Lot # 2469H                                                             Ned & Connie Riegel

Property Address 20233 Cedar Cliff Drive        Bond Amount $500.00

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

                                                                                    Fine/Fees Owed $0

 

Lot # 2426H                                                             Country Acreage, INC

Property Address 1418 Brindlestone Drvie      Bond Amount $2000.00

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

                                                                                    Fine/Fees Owed $0

 

 

Lot # 356H                                                                Brandon Willis

Property Address 957 Greentree Road            Bond Amount $500.00

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

                                                                                    Fine/Fees Owed $0

 

Lot # 1046H                                                             Wayne & Vella Reiman

Property Address 21283 Alpine Drive               Bond Amount $500.00

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

                                                                                    Fine/Fees Owed $0

 

Lot # 1686H                                                             Robert & Maria Elena Ash

Property Address 1228 Montclair Court            Bond Amount $500.00

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

                                                                                    Fine/Fees Owed $0

 

Signed by Jason Craig, Jesse Jones, Dave Hafner, Phil Heitz, Dan Fricke and Bruce Keller

 

Motion for the Performance Bond return made by Tom Hamilton and seconded by Scott Giska.  Motion passed unanimously. 

  • Request approval of 15 foot rear setback variance for lot # 802H/803.

 

Motion made by Tom Hamilton and seconded by Scott Giska for 15 foot rear setback variance.  Motion passed unanimously. 

 

  • Request a motion approving the following change to the By-Laws concerning Lot Splits and requiring a new survey of the affected property. (First Reading)

 

Motion made to accept for discussion a change to the By-Laws concerning Lot Splits by Donna Yetzer and seconded by Tom Hamilton. 

 

This is a first reading and will be heard again at the next board meeting.

 

Lot Splits

Turns out there is no rules on lot splits except to say that the semiannual dues are split in half for the two owner of a split lot. That said, I believe we should add 4-4-41 in the Architectural Section of our Handbook

4-4-41Proposed lot splits must be presented to the Architectural Committee along with re-drawn, surveyor signed plot plans including existing structures.  The Board of Directors are the final approval for all split lots.

 

 

Tim Coyle, Lot # 724, Tim wanted to know how lot splits were handled in the past.  The Architecture Committee felt there were different request in dimensions of lot split.

 

Dave Patterson, Lot # 1533, suggested that the Board approve a draft of the surveyors report.

 

There was some discussion on Lot Splits that can be heard in the audio portion of the meeting.

 

  • Request a motion approving the following change to the By-Laws requiring that all houses meet a minimum 1,200 Square foot on the main floor living area of new homes. (First Reading)

 

Motion made to accept for discussion a change to the By-Laws concerning square footage of main floor living by Tom Hamilton and seconded by Scott Giska. 

 

This is a first reading and will be heard again at the next board meeting.

 

 

Minimum Square Footage for New Homes

As we discussed, we want homes build that are no less than 1,200 square feet on the first floor living area footprint, excluding the garage.  This is what we have now and my suggestion for placement is highlighted.

4-5-7. New Houses Require Submission of Plot Plans

All new houses require HVL POA Architecture Committee approval prior to being constructed. When applying for approval, a plot plan stamped by a registered Indiana surveyor consisting of the following information shall be submitted:

  1. Location of house on the lot showing the distances to all property lines.
  2. Elevation of all corners.
  3. Exterior dimensions of house including overhang and any decks or porches.
  4. Location and size of culvert for drive if required.
  5. Location of water meter and gas meter if applicable.
  6. Location and elevation of sewer line.
  7. Location of electrical, telephone and cable TV lines and gas line if applicable.
  8. Elevation of basement or ground floor (on slab).
  9. Drainage plan.
  10. Name of township (Miller or Lawrenceburg).
  11. Location of propane tank to be buried.
  12. Ditch and driveway provisions.
  13. Distance of culvert pipe(s) from the side property line(s).
  14. All new homes must have 1,200 minimum square feet of living space on the main floor excluding the garage. A variance may be applied for if the lot or neighborhood does not lend itself to a 1,200 square foot home.

 

Julie Mason, Lot # 2224, wanted to know why we would consider this change when we have some lots that may not allow a 1200 square foot home.

 

Scott Chenault, Lot # 2581, wanted to know the purpose of this rule.  He wanted to know if this was reactional or proactive.

 

Phil Heitz, Lot # 2730H/2731A, explained that there are setbacks that builders would have to follow.

 

Jon Dutton, Lot # 1854, feels we are looking for a solution to a problem we don’t have.

 

There was much discussion on the square footage of new homes.

 

  • Request a motion approving a change to the By-Laws limiting the size of a detached building/garage to 50 percent of the main floor living area square footage or 900 square feet, whichever is less. (First Reading)

 

Motion made to accept for discussion a change to the By-Laws limiting the size of a detached building/garage by Tom Hamilton and seconded by Robert Starks. 

 

This is a first reading and will be heard again at the next board meeting.

 

Scott Mason, Lot # 2224, Scott is concerned about this rule as well.  He wants to know why we are changing this bylaw.  He feels this could hurt the homeowners that bought their home before bylaw change would be put in place.

 

There was much discussion on this bylaw change that can be heard in the audio portion of the meeting.

 

                                                                                                               

Maximum Size of Detached Building

 

Per discussion, we are looking to reduce the size of detached buildings regardless if they are sheds or garages.  I propose we put the rule in section 4-17 and that it be worded as follows.

4-17-8 Detached structures can be no larger than 50 percent of the existing home footprint, excluding garage, not to exceed 900 square feet.   Materials used must be the same as those used on the existing residence and must be non-industrial materials.

4-17-9 All detached structures over 200 square feet require an Indiana licensed surveyor stamp and must be staked out by the same surveyor.

 

Safety, Security & Elections Committee Report:  Bruce Keller

 

  • Request approval of the following changes in our Nomination process.(Requires only one reading)

 

Motion was read into record and will be passed at the next Board Meeting. 

 

The Safety, Security, and Elections Committee met this month on Tuesday November 13.  Dave Patterson, Chairman of the Parks and Lakes Committee, joined us.  We had a productive conversation concerning HVL vehicle stickers.  We discussed the pros and cons associated with this procedure.  Dave plans to follow up with his committee on this subject. After reviewing the safety reports, the Committee worked on the following rule clarifications.  We voted unanimously to present the following for approval.

 

REQUESTED CHANGES FROM THE SAFETY, SECURITY, & ELECTIONS COMMITTEE ARE IN RED. PRIOR VERBAGE TO BE DELETED IS IN Yellow.

 

CURRENT REQUIREMENT: NOMINATION SUBMISSION

 

1-3-6. HVL POA Board of Directors Election Procedures

 

  1. The Nomination Forms for the HVL POA Board of Directors shall be made available on-line at the HVL web site or at the POA office.A notice of the registration deadline will be made public at least one month prior to the deadline.

 

  1. Nominations shall be closed and forms received in the HVL POA Office by the deadline. In order to be valid, a current photo, résumé of the nominee, and the Candidate Résumé Outline must accompany the Nomination Form.  These items shall be submitted to the HVL POA Office by:

 

  1. The candidate or a representative of the candidate, if the candidate is unable to submit them in person.The Community Manager will contact the candidate to confirm his or her intent to run.

 

  1. After the nominations are closed, candidate nominations shall be validated at the HVL POA Office to assure that each candidate is qualified to run for election.

 

  • Request approval of the following Rule change concerning signs. (First Reading)

 

Motion made for discussion by Robert Starks and seconded by Scott Giska to approve the rule change concerning signs.  Motion passed unanimously. 

 

This is the first reading.  There will be some changes in the wording for the second reading.  The second reading will be heard at the next board meeting. 

 

There was much discussion on the sign rule change that can be heard in the audio portion of the meeting.

 

CURRENT REQUIREMENT: SIGNS

 

11-6-4. Election and Political Sign Rules

 

  1. “Election” or “Political” signs may not be posted on (either) private property (or oncommunity property) within HVL sooner than thirty (30) days prior to an election and must be removed the day after the election is held. Only one (1) “Election” or “Political” sign shall be permitted and is per(personal property lot) membership regardless of how many lots are assigned to that membership.  Signs may notbe put on community property except on Election Day at the voting precinct only.

 

  1. All “Election” or “Political” signs shall be removed within one (1) day after the election is held. It is the responsibility of the property owner to remove the sign in a timely manner.

 

Old Business:

 

None

 

New Business:

 

None

Motion to adjourn made by Robert Starks and seconded by Scott Giska. Motion passed unanimously. 

 

Adjournment: 8:27pm

 

Minutes Prepared by Gina

 

Minutes published in this paper are abbreviated and a full account can be heard online at www.hiddenvalleylakeindiana.com