The Minutes
SLE HOA BOARD MEETING
Date: August 13, 2024
Location: Tisha Dore’s Home
Board Members in Attendance: John O’Neil (by phone), Gus Ferguson, Lois Tarnowski, Brendan Mills, and Tisha Dore
Quorum: YES
Call to Order: 6:00pm
Minutes from the last meeting: Accepted (Motioned by: Gus Ferguson, Seconded by: Brendan Mills)
Treasurer’s Report:
Current in checking account: $ 7,836.71
Current in savings account: $ 21,212.52
Current in petty cash account: $ 201.00
Total in bank accounts: $ 29,250.23
15 PROPERTY OWNERS ARE DELINQUENT ON THEIR DUES (TOTALING OVER $6K):
3 lots owe on multiple years – Liens against their property have been recorded with Kootenai County.
2 lots owe on this and last year – Liens against their property have been recorded with Kootenai County.
10 lot owners owe dues for this year and monthly finance charges will only continue to accumulate.
13 owners representing almost $5K are now current, down from 28 delinquent accounts + nearly $11k, but 15 homes representing $6,346.46 in unpaid dues is still a lot for a small private community.
*** WE DEPEND ON YOUR DUES. PLEASE WORK WITH US TO CATCH UP OR SETUP A PAYMENT PLAN***
WE DON’T WANT TO POST NAMES OR PLACE LIENS, IT’S COSTLY, SO WE’LL BE ADDING IT TO YOUR BILL.
Behind on your dues? Send payment ASAP or contact Rebecca Morales, at treasurer@spiritlakeeast.org. For more info on payments + donations (mailing address + PayPal): www.spiritlakeeast.org/payordonate
Motion to accept Treasurer Report by: Brendan Mills
Motion Seconded by: Gus Ferguson
Roads Report: Roads Chair, Joe Sandbank, said that while KEC (and only partially Intermax) is responsible for major repairs + expenses involved in putting our roads back together, our Road Crew must do some precision grading where we know there will be issues if we don’t bridge the gap before more rock is laid.
From the July minutes, Joe requested a meeting with KEC, which Gus then coordinated for August 5th. The meeting was attended by Joe, Gus + John and our KEC contacts. Intermax was not needed as their work has just begun but the companies are collaborating in areas where gas lines are located, so Intermax will be looped in as needed as both will be involved in restoring our roads to their original condition.
Joe suggested that our Road Crew grade because we can already see that KEC’s third-party contractor is not going to meet our standard (or KEC’s). This good faith gesture will ensure the best outcome for SLE and is a small investment we’re making upfront with KEC’s assurances that they’ll pay it back in the process of bringing the project to a successful completion. KEC also promised not to end the job until we sign off. Joe said he can work with that and the Road Crew will stay on top of this until the final product is approved.
On the fundraising front, Joe met with Gus to prep the old grader for sale, as agreed at the July meeting. Gus completed welding repairs to the knuckle. Jon Dore power-washed the rig, will replace the hinge pin to the engine cover. Gus is prepping a post with pics + videos. The asking price is $12,999 and includes a snow plow blade, wing blade + new cutting edges purchased before finding new grader (not returnable).
While the new grader is already making a big impact and saving us money, reminder from the last meeting that we still need to outfit the new rig with a chain package with ice cleats, which will be $5,600 with tax. From the July minutes, we agreed that we need to collect more past dues until we can move on this.
WE ALSO ASK FOR YOUR HELP.
If you’d like to donate, please don’t wait. We’d like to purchase the chain package as soon as possible. Also, while we’re doing basic grading now to ensure the best outcome on the KEC project, the bulk of our grading will need to happen when more rain comes. Having donations upfront will allow us to act quickly when the weather is best to book our crew + disperse the maximum amount of road base in a single shift.
Some ask why should I donate, isn’t all grading in the budget. The answer is NO. The budget has only ever been for repairs + maintenance, not improvements (or accessories for our new grader, for that matter).
Please consider donating. The new grader is here and already making an impact, so you know your donation will go to good use starting now, and not years from now. Even if it’s $20, $40, $50, IT ADDS UP!
This will help us to get the chain package + continue with the big picture project of crowning our roads.
Want to make a big impact? Donate $500 for a truck load of base (this includes the base + fuel + wages), and designate where you want your road base donation to be distributed. A check is best (no fees):
SLE HOA – P.O. Box 217
Spirit Lake, ID 83869
*Memo: Road Fund
FUNDS RAISED & PUT TOWARDS GRADER + ROAD FUND SO FAR:
$23,000 from sale of dump truck
$ 5,500 from unused shop equipment sale
$12,440 ($1,200/mo for July 2023 – April 2024 KEC shop rent + $440 for June 2023 partial rent)
$ 5,320.03 from our community ($850 since July meeting – $700 donated, $150 ad fees – THANK YOU!)
$ 46,260.03 TOTAL (PLEASE KEEP CONTRIBUTIONS COMING TO SUPPORT OUR ROAD FUND!)
The board reminds to SLOW DOWN. It damages the roads + costs us money. It’s dusty this time of year. Going over 15mph kicks-up more dust. Leave early, mind your dust, and tell to your kids to slow down.
Email Q’s to roads@spiritlakeeast.org. For roads form for reporting issues: www.spiritlakeeast.org/roads
Motion to Accept the Roads Report: Gus Ferguson
Motion Seconded by: Lois Tarnowski
ARC Report: No additional questions or plans submitted for review since the last meeting. If you have building plans or questions, email ARC Chair, Jon Dore, at arc@spiritlakeeast.org. Learn about building in SLE + find the Architectural Form for approvals here: www.spiritlakeeast.org/building-info
Motion to accept ARC Report by: Lois Tarnowski
Motion Seconded by: Gus Ferguson
Newsletter Report:
- Editor & Member at Large, Lois Tarnowski, is coordinating the Fall edition.
- Tisha will submit a protocol for plowing so folks will know what roads are done in what order.
- We also discussed other possible topics: Winter Prep, Dirt Bike Safety, KEC + Intermax updates.
- Sandi has some local business contacts who are interested and will work with Lois to place ads.
- Newsletters + SLE business ad Info can be found at: www.spiritlakeeast.org/newsletters
- Proceeds from advertising in the newsletter + Facebook Group go to our Road Fund!
- Advertising is NOW OPEN to businesses beyond SLE. Pricing is different, has been posted.
- Also, if you’ve provided an email address, you can always find the quarterly newsletter in your email inbox (or junk). If you haven’t given an email address, you’ll get it in the mail.
- Homeowners: To cut costs + save time, please send us an email address so that we can reduce the amount of people who need a hardcopy newsletter mailed to them. To provide your email for this (or update your email address) contact: secretary@spiritlakeeast.org.
Motion to accept Newsletter Report by: Gus Ferguson
Motion Seconded by: Brendan Mills
Timber Report: VP, Gus Ferguson, had nothing to report. Tisha continues to check for responses to the logging form as the forwarding app is not working. Gus reminds of fire season. It’s hot + dry for felling trees in prep for winter. So, use chainsaws with caution, stick around to make sure there are no sparks that ignite after cutting, have a fire extinguisher handy, etc. There are A LOT of fallen trees lining the roads of many properties. Haul out fallen trees while you can before winter. If you want to offer up trees for firewood in exchange for someone hauling them away, and clearing them off your property, let us know! Brendan also shared that he leads a group through his church to help those who may need assistance too.
Send timber/logging questions to: timber@spiritlakeeast.org. For links to the Commercial Logging + Timber Exemption Forms, visit: www.spiritlakeeast.org/timber
Motion to accept Timber Report by: Tisha Dore
Motion Seconded by: Brendan Mills
Welcome Committee: It’s still too hot to put items in newbies’ mailboxes, so we’ll shoot for Sept start. The Board previously approved the ideas, but they got to see sample packs tonight for a final thumbs-up. Contact Tisha with questions at welcome@spiritlakeeast.org. If you have yet to register for HOA billing/mailings, fill-out the new resident form: www.spiritlakeeast.org/new-residents
Motion to Accept Welcome Report: Lois Tarnowski
Motion Seconded by: Gus Ferguson
OLD BUSINESS
- Street Signs
o Once it cools down, more 15mph signs from the shop will be installed on existing posts.
o Also, the sign at Blanchard + Hayden that has been tipped-over will soon be re-installed.
Motion to Accept Old Business: Gus Ferguson
Motion Seconded by: Brendan Mills
NEW BUSINESS
- KEC + Intermax
o KEC is burying the powerlines underground + Intermax is installing fiber Internet.
o Work on both projects is moving along quickly, and they’ve been working in different areas, but now there’s some overlap where they must collaborate, so we’ll track here.
o Intermax fiber installation is mainly in the gutter areas, but they’ve moved to the middle of the road in some areas due to the gas lines on the sides, and KEC always supervises.
o Meeting held on August 5th with John, Gus + Joe attending along with KEC, so we’re all on the same page about the road repairs (see Roads Report section for more).
o Intermax wasn’t needed for the meeting as their work has just begun but will be looped in as needed as both co’s are involved in restoring our roads to their original condition.
o There was a minor accident involving a worker for the contractor hired by Intermax, which was reported on FB to manage traffic while emergency services were onsite. The worker was only bruised, but the incident was taken very seriously by Intermax.
o Gus held a follow up call with Intermax to go over workplace safety and the company’s response to this incident as well as an earlier report of one of their third-party contractors driving the wrong way on the round-about, which Intermax is investigating.
o Gus shared a map from KEC where digging is now complete (KEC sent to Intermax too), but it was noted that finish work + road repairs are not yet done in those areas.
o Gus has and will continue to run point on these now converging projects. Thanks, Gus!
- IDT to upgrade entrances
o The board worked with IDT to get our entrances permitted as no permits were on file. The new permits have been signed + recorded and are now on file in the HOA Dropbox.
o Reminder IDT has an upcoming project on the 54, so they will redo the SLE entrances, and get them up to code, which required permitting (at no cost). Timing is TBD, but having the permits now complete is a good sign. We’ll continue to keep folks updated.
o We also received, reviewed and discussed IDT paperwork on the proposed project.
o Several questions were posed by the board and clarifying points provided by IDT in response regarding the upcoming project, so we have on record in writing how IDT is responsible for maintaining our entrances after this improvement project is complete.
o While we’ve always known that IDT is responsible for the entrances, we learned they own and are responsible for them 80 feet in from Highway 54. This is great news!
Motion to Accept New Business: Brendan Mills
Motion Seconded by: Gus Ferguson
- Motion to adjourn by: Tisha Dore
- Motion Seconded by: John O’Neil
- Meeting was adjourned at: 6:51pm
