The Minutes
HOA BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING
JULY 11, 2022
HOA President, Jeremy Skinner, called the meeting to order at 6:35 PM. Gus Ferguson 2nd that the meeting should be called to order.
Members in attendance:
Jeremy Skinner – President
Gus Ferguson – VP
Marilyn Rousher – Treasurer
Lois Tarnowski – Member at Large
John O’Neil – Member at Large
Vern Peters – Member at Large
Road Members attending included:
Joe Sandbank
Rob Paycho
Eric Hoff
Dale Badore
Brian Chandler
Not in attendance: Secretary Maureen/ Marilyn took notes in her place
Jeremey started the meeting asking Joe S about the mechanical issues that are currently occurring with the plows and other HOA vehicles. Joe’s assessment is that all of the vehicles are in need of a lot of work which will cost a lot of money. Jeremey asked Joe to give him a list of what needs to be done and the projected costs so that the Board can look at finances and determine what direction can be taken with regard to getting the needed funds to the Road Committee.
Joe further stated that because of the aged condition of all of the HOA equipment, that at this time the most cost-effective way to keep things going for this year is to patch things as needed and move forward with the goal being getting money for better tools in the very near future.
Jeremy reminded us all that any costs over $5,000 must be presented to the community at large and voted upon and accepted before anything over that sum can be spent. The grader is from 1977 and is showing its age. It is still running at this point and still has monetary value. If it were to be sold is possible that we might be able to find a replacement grader that is in better shape?
As the grader sits today, in working order, Joe estimates it is worth around $25,000. Jeremy advised that he was part of the HOA when a $100,000 loan was taken out and all of the community had to pay it back and after the loan was paid off it cost around $300,000 with interest. This is not something he ever wants to see the community take on again. Other options can be explored once Joe has provided Joe the numbers on what it will cost to replace/repair to good condition our equipment.
Also, Joe is going to provide a detailed cost list of what it will take to fix the roads so we don’t experience the flooding and pot holing that continues to get worse every year. The work he has done up to this point creating crowns on the road has been working very well.
John O’Neill suggested that since the HOA is a non-profit that maybe there can be an effort undertaken so that persons who care about the community roads are provided with the opportunity to gift (with a tax exemption) some of the needed cash. Marilyn will look into the status of the HOA to see if this is a viable consideration.
It was stated that we need three plow trucks to keep the community up and running during the winter. During the winter two graders are used and one grader is stabled in case a back up is needed. It seems that the back-up is always needed as things break all of the time. In the past when we had to lease a grader it really cost the HOA a lot of money, the desire is to eliminate that ever happening again by having properly running equipment.
Joe suggested that parts and supplies (diesel, oil, fuel filters etc.) be purchased now while supplies are still available as things are becoming scarce very quickly. The goal is to have everything ready to go before it is needed. Gus would like to know what we need right now and the costs. Joe will provide that.
All of the vehicles are in need of servicing and will be serviced. Joe stated that he needs a professional diesel mechanic to work on all of the rigs. It was not stated how anyone was going to find this person. Jeremey reiterated that he wants a list of what is needed, what needs to be done and a prioritizing of it all so that we can figure out about funds and how to get them.
Someone floated the idea of raising the dues for the HOA and Jeremey reiterated the difficulties he has encountered in the past trying to get anything regarding money agreed upon. Ideas will be considered once we have a working budget to present to the community in general.
A fuel budget was brought up.
The need for “sanding” sand was discussed. Joe suggested that four super loads would be needed. We need to have enough for the entire winter and then some in case of emergency. Jeremy will find out how much RPI will charge for this and Jeremey will find out how much it will cost from his sources. Jeremy suggested that the 55-gal oil drums be filled, in general all of the Road Crew want to see everything that is needed and will be needed purchased and in the shop before winter hits.
Jeremey pointed out that the truck needs four back tires which will cost $900 each. Brian will find out if we can get some or not because of the shortages that are beginning to appear. It was suggested that the tires will work for the summer and can be chained in the winter so as to put off new tires until spring.
Joe indicated that in order for our roads to be really good we will need road base in many spots because the rocks are large and will continue to cause issues.
Jeremey continued the meeting by discussing Google Drive. He is creating a working program for all of us to use that will create transparency for one and all and will be an excellent way to communicate what needs to be done, what is being done and what has been done to other members. The program should be up and running very soon and all board members will be provided with an invite so they can get on board and start working together. This way we all know what is going on and who is doing what. We can report if there are trees down on a street that need care on this program and will be able to see if anything or who is taking care of it. The ARC, Road and Timber Committees will be included on this. This was the end of the Road Crew discussion. Everyone adjourned to look at the equipment and the barn to take stock of what we have and what we need. John O’Neil had to leave early and did so at this point.
Jeremy continued the meeting by introducing everyone on the Board and explaining what each member is to do. He wanted to make sure that all of us understand that we are important and that by working together things will go forward in a seamless manner. The Google program will be very helpful because everything from the past and the present will be put into it so that when members leave all of the useful information that Board Member has in their mind won’t be lost to the upcoming members. This is an excellent way to keep an open line of communication. He stated that we need to be strong on the CC&R’s on social media and when speaking to others because that is where we get how we are to run the community, not by the opinions or desires of individuals. It was stated that Vern has good communication skills on social media and can be very helpful in handling this aspect of our public relations.
Dog Barking was discussed and there really isn’t anything that can be done about it. The county has noise ordinances that begin at 10:00 PM and neighbors should be encouraged to call the Sheriff’s Department to deal with these issues instead of the HOA. Jeremey encouraged us to remind folks that calling the Sheriff’s Dept is their best option when dealing with neighbors as we are not the police and don’t want to be the police or have problems of that nature.
There is an easement in SLE and members were wondering how that is going to affect the community. No answers were provided. There are speeders on Priest River going to Paper Land that should slow down. Speed Bumps? Jeremey feels it is not out of the area people but SLE residents not following the rules.
This is the end of the discussion for the meeting. Jeremey moved that the meeting be adjourned and Gus seconded it. The meeting ended at 8:34 PM.
