HIDDEN VALLEY LAKE PROPERTY OWNERS’ ASSOCIATION
DECEMBER TOWN HALL
Thursday, December 8, 2022, 7:00 p.m. -8:30 p.m.– POA Lower Level
UNAPPROVED
Board of Directors Members Present: Scott Giska, Patricia Hawkins and Doug Gabbard
Board Members Appearing via Zoom: Ken Horn
Board Members Absent: Jeff Fuell
Community Manager present: Dave Wismann
Call to Order: Scott Giska
President, Scott Giska called the Board of Directors Meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.
Pledge of Allegiance:
Pledge of Allegiance:
The meeting began with the Pledge of Allegiance.
Architecture: Tom Cross
Performance Bonds for Return 11/2022 (Previously approved through email.)
Lot # 1378H Michael & Tammy Jones
Property Address 20373 Beau Vista Bond Amount $500.00
City, State, Zip Lawrenceburg, IN 47025 Dues Owed $0
Fine/Fees Owed $0
Lot # 3312H Scott Mindling & Stephanie Tuerck
Property Address 19342 Alpine Drive Bond Amount $500.00
City, State, Zip Lawrenceburg, IN 47025 Dues Owed $0
Fine/Fees Owed $0
Lot # 1562H Sandra & Michael Barry
Property Address 19378 Newcom Knoll Bond Amount $500.00
City, State, Zip Lawrenceburg, IN 47025 Dues Owed $0
Fine/Fees Owed $0
Lot # 1141H John & Mary Lindeman
Property Address 20353 Meercham Way Bond Amount $500.00
City, State, Zip Lawrenceburg, IN 47025 Dues Owed $0
Fine/Fees Owed $0
Performance Bonds for Return 12/2022 (Previously approved through email.)
Lot # 2061H Brittany & Jason Hoffman
Property Address 1388 Brabamhurst Drive Bond Amount $500.00
City, State, Zip Lawrenceburg, IN 47025 Dues Owed $0
Fine/Fees Owed $0
- Motion to approve November 2022 and December 2022 Bond Returns made by Doug Gabbard and seconded by Patricia Hawkins. Motion passed 3-0.
End of Year – Financial Update: Ginny Boyer
Financial Position for the month of October 2022:
Our Cash Position on October 1, 2022—$ 866,808.00
Ending Cash on October 31, 2022—$ 695,428.00
Financial Position for the month of November 2022:
Our Cash Position on November 1, 2022—$ 695,428.00
Ending Cash on November 30, 2022—$ 289,248.00
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.
- Motion to approve October 2022 and November 2022 Financial for POA and Golf Course made by Doug Gabbard and seconded by Patricia Hawkins. Motion passed 3-0.
Golf Course Financial Update: Scott Giska
Fiber Optics Update: Dave Wismann
Fiber Optics Project
The project is about a third of the way complete regarding installation of conduit line just over 20 miles to this point). The main line coming from Georgetown Road completion date is not know at this time.
Moving forward, the contractors will continue to restore as they go, meaning they will install a section and restore that section prior to moving to the next section. We have had a few challenging restorations and we continue to work with the contractor to resolve these issues.
By-Laws Update: Pat Hawkins
- Meeting with each committee to review rules is taking place. Anything in by-laws that is a restatement from the State of Indiana or Dearborn County will be removed allowing a more concise understanding of the bylaw.
- Assessments will be removed throughout and added as an appendix for easy access.
- Processes will be removed and will be added to the www.hiddenvalleylakeindiana.com website unless needed for legal reasons.
- Estimated completion is April 2023.
- Approval process is a meeting on-on-one process with chairs of committee or panel membership. Once approved by committee or panel, the board will be presented with updated bylaw for approval. The attorney will then review for compliance with State of Indiana law.
Lakes: Dave Wismann
- Stationary sections of Willies docks were replaced. Quotes sought for floating sections, and in the end, we decided that we could do the job internally for less money by using POA member resources to help with reconstruction.
- Thanks to our Crystal Lake neighbors who are taking an active role in lake ecology and management. We’re beginning to see some improvements even without late season treatments. They are using simple solutions, like removing invasive species, restoring shoreline plant buffer, educating on sources of phosphorus in the yard, reducing silt intrusion, and a floating plant island. This will be a case study for how we can better manage our other small lakes.
- We conducted our first spring Lake Cleanup with volunteers. We removed a significant amount of debris which was a big help to lakefront owners and safety issues. We will likely do this again in 2023. There are areas that were hard to hit without having the service boat.
- Removal of slot bass continue to be a priority in the main lake. Fish and Game have removed 1000 each year for several years now. Electrofish study by Jones Fishery, indicates that while we are doing the right thing with slot bass, we can go much further-possibly removing as much as four times as many fish. There isn’t enough prey in the lake to support a bass population with as many 9-13” fish as we have. We will continue to work on solutions to balance the population. Please see the POA website for information from the November presentation with Question and Answer session.
- Change was made to rules to allow canopies on boat lifts. Several have taken advantage so far.
- Ken Horn, Dave Wissman, and Eric went to see an Ecoharvester in action on Indian lake in Ohio. We came away impressed and will work within the Board and Finance to look at next steps. This is a significant expense, and we need to proceed carefully.
- We have worked on a governing document for how Lakes committee will operate. Everything from purpose of the committee to recruitment, term limits, and structure are addressed. This should scale to other committees and was an important step before adding needed new members to lakes.
Safety, Security & Elections: Doug Gabbard
- Submitted suggested changes for the Board code of conduct
- Updated election procedures
- Added animal control information to the new resident welcome bag
- Addressed safety issues near the pool for Halloween
Future Planning: Doug Gabbard
- Managed change for Echoes to keep it free for residents
- Beautified the Security Office at the front gate with fresh paint and needed maintenance
- Painted the 77-acre restrooms and concession stand
- Added texting as a feature for HVL Communications
- Facilitated moving the HVL Website to a new provider
50th Anniversary Task Force Accomplishments: Patricia Hawkins
- Fall 2021 – Encouraged residents to submit designs for the 50th Anniversary logo
- December – 2021 HVL Pioneer Gathering
- New Year’s Day – Unveiled the 50th Anniversary Banner at the Polar Bear Dip
- January 2022 – Placed anniversary flags and banners at multiple locations in Hidden Valley Lake
- March 2022 – Asked for and received a proclamation from the Dearborn County Commissioners recognizing Hidden Valley Lake on its 50th Anniversary
- March 2022 – Partnered with the Civic Club to stage a Pub Crawl
- May 2022 – Provided 50th Anniversary patches for the HV Riders to wear in the Memorial Day Parade
- June 2022 – Underwrote the cost of shaved ice and other refreshments for the Family Pool Party
- July 2022 – Provided funds for anniversary specific fireworks
- Labor Day Bash 2022 – Collected items and assembled the contents of a time capsule
- Fall 2022 – Provided funding for flags used in the 50 Boat Tie-Up, pressure washing of the front entrance sign and lights for the gazebo
- December 2022 – Worked with the Civic Club on the Christmas Tree Lighting event
- Throughout 2022 – Provided articles on Hidden Valley Lake history, events and residents for Echoes and the Dearborn County Register
Architecture: Tom Cross
- 212 Permit Approvals
- 103 Administrative Approvals
- 109 Committee Approvals
- 3 New Home Build Approvals (We now have 1895 approved homes in the valley)
- 2 Variances Granted
Parks and Recreation Committee: Patricia Hawkins
Trails Task Force
- Cleared and re-established all trails on the west side of the sports complex
- Laid out and created the new Wood Duck trail following the creek valley
- Cleared the Southern entry to the Bluebird trail but need to clear the hillside to the valley below
- Added bridge to Southern entrance to the new Wood duck trail
- New master display case for trail map including a QR code for smart phone use when hiking
- Campsite cleared and completed
Pool/Beach Task Force
- Nora Humphrey hired as new Pool/Beach Manager
- New pool liner installed
- First Annual Family Pool Party
- Doggy Dip benefit for families and PAWS
- Pool season extended through September
- Spring Cleanup and organization of both pool and beach houses including repairs and new equipment as needed, i.e., new deck lunge chairs to replace old ones
Stateline Clean-up
- Parks and Recreation Committee members participated in the clean-up of Stateline
Goals for 2023: Dave Wismann
Budget
- We continue to improve managing the budget. It is important that we are as clear as possible with identifying those areas where we can spend wisely so we provide a positive experience for the property owner while spending conservatively.
- We have challenging times ahead for our budget, especially in human resources. We have a great team, and we must be creative in providing a positive work environment while understanding the limits of our budget to keep these key employees on the team.
Project Charters
- Future projects will be presented with not only the cost of building, but also the cost of operation, maintenance, and replacement. Project Charters are part of a system that help define what is needed, financially and physically, to complete the project.
Asset Management
- We have been working on managing our assets which is time-consuming and tedious work but must be done to have a handle on what we own, what we need, when we need to maintain these items, and when we need to trade out these items.
Roads
- With the help of the annual roads task force, we will continue to develop a plan for road maintenance. We have 32 miles of road and several large parking lots to maintain, and it is easily one of the largest expenditures from the budget.
Q & A Session:
Roads schedule for line painting will be evaluated at completion of projects in process.
Fitness Center classes and instructors was discussed.
Adjournment:
- Motion to Adjourn was made by Doug Gabbard and seconded by Patricia Hawkins. Motion passed 3-0.
A full account can be heard online at www.hiddenvalleylakeindiana.com.