(These highlights were not prepared by the Board. They were prepared by an attendee of the meeting and are presented to keep unit owners up to date until the official meeting minutes become available after they are approved next month.)
Financial Review and Property Management
Except for the cost of legal opinions, no unusual expenses were incurred of late.
The Board voted to consolidate certain accounts and transfer $30,000 into the the Long Term Capital Reserve Fund.
The Board approved allocating up to $300 for an arborist recommended by Alliance to conduct Spring inspection of trees on our property to ascertain if any maintenance is required.
The Board instructed the property manager to withhold full payment for snow clearance until damage caused during snow clearance was repaired.
Unit owners are urged to report snow clearance damage to Evergreen-Harvard or the BOD.
Board policy on political activities/elections
The Board has approved a new rule which prohibits unit owners from making comments at Board meetings which relate to any matters on Federal, State or local election ballots. In fact, no comments should be made unless they relate directly to HOA related business.
Zoning of Route 102 commercial lots
The lots in front of our development are both Zoned C-II and are part of the Route 102 “Performance Overlay”
C-II zoning pretty much allows most imaginable commercial types of establishments.
Furthermore, because these lots are part of the “Performance Overlay”, buffers are reduced from 50 feet to 20 feet. That means a building may be placed as close as 20 feet from our property line.
As you already know, the lot directly in front of Hickory Woods can only be accessed via Tavern Hill Road.
Prior to a developer building anything on these lots they must obtain approval from the Town Planning Board. If the Planning Board receives such an application they must notify abutters, who may then appear at related hearings and give their comments.
The Board voted to do nothing in terms of planning or further research on this issue until they receive notice from the Town Planning Board. At that time they would attempt to influence Planning Board deliberations with their comments.
During the Unit Owner Comments section of the meeting the question was raised as to whether we would get advanced notice if the owners of the front lot decided to strip the lot of all trees.
(Because no one seemed to have a definitive answer to this question and because such an action would have such a profound impact on the appearance of this community, this writer contacted town officials for an answer. ANSWER: the owner may remove any and all trees from the property without giving us advance notice.)
New Lawyer
After interviewing a number of lawyers who specialize in condominium law, the Board has decided to employ a new lawyer. He is Gary M Daddario of Winer and Bennett, LLP.
For further information
Additions, Alterations or Improvements
The request for a rain barrel was deferred/disapproved because the Board felt it needed to establish guidelines (size, color, etc.) with respect to this issue before it could proceed.
The under deck roof was approved.
Trellises which have been approved in the past are now a questionable issue. It seems they may be a violation of our Declaration. The Board is in the process of obtaining a legal opinion on this issue.
Comments from Board members indicate that feedback they received from the various lawyers they interviewed has made them more cautious in considering Additions, Alterations or Improvements.
Transition Committee Report
The Board voted to accept the final report from the Transition Committee.
During the Unit Owner Comments section of the meeting Sheri Dalbenzio objected to the following section of the report:
“The last thing that needs to be mentioned is the subject of “Ledge Erosion” behind one of the units (Infrastructure Report Item 7, List #10). Due to landscaping changes initiated by the owner of the unit the ledge in back of the unit appears to have destabilized. Neither the HOA nor the developer are responsible for this condition. The unit owner should be formally notified of this.”
The unit owner states either the developer or the HOA are responsible for this condition.
Please take the time to read the final report as it contains information important to all unit owners. Transition Committee Final Report
Septic System Task Force:
The Septic System Task force is putting together packages for all the residents containing information you will need to maintain and service your septic systems.
Spring is coming and there are probably some residents that will be interested in pumping out their systems and this information would be helpful if you are planning on servicing your system.