Report from the

Council of Stewards Meeting

February 28 , 2007, Regular Meeting

In attendance: Sam Coleman, Tom Fischer, Sherman Kahn, Norm Reid, David Smith, Dave Stout, Donna Howell (Recording Secretary), and Vera Victorino (Abbott Enterprises).

No homeowners were in attendance to present questions or concerns. One resident passed along a question in regard to conducting individual garage sales. A homeowner may have a garage sale twice per year. The sale may not exceed 72 hours and must be in keeping with neighborhood Covenants and Canons, including parking restrictions.

The Council of Stewards (COS) discussed these issues and took the following actions:

• Committee reports were presented as follows:

1.  Townhome/Workplace Building Maintenance Committee – Cunnane has completed patio foundation repairs to four of the five townhomes on the north side of Caldwell Lane as per the plan presented in December, 2006.

Cunnane resolved foundation seepage problems on South Faulkner Way by digging around the outside walls and applying a waterproof membrane to each wall from the bottom up to the level of the foundation, and then replacing the dirt so that it does not rise above the foundation. The problem with the end unit where water was seeping in between the garage and the sidewalk was repaired by properly sealing the joint. An additional unit on North Faulkner Way was found to have an even more serious seepage problem and Cunnane resolved it using the waterproof membranes.

The next painting project (North Faulkner Way) will go out for bids and be presented for approval at the next COS meeting. It is expected that the actual painting will take place in late-May and early-June.

A question has been raised regarding the Association’s obligation to address any repairs and/or changes that are requested by homeowner inspection reports during the sale of units. The Association is responsible for only those repairs that may be necessary to correct deficiencies where the intended use of the item is not being met. Liability is also limited to the scope of items normally covered under Association maintenance. For example, the Association would not repair a kitchen oven problem or replace carpeting damaged by a pet.

2.  Finance Committee – Financial statements for period ending January 31, 2007 were available.

A simplified 2006 year-end financial statement will be prepared for homeowners and published in the April newsletter. [See article on page 3 and the report summary at the end of this newsletter.]

3.  Property Transition Committee – Neighborhood surveys have been completed and all changes and corrections reported to Abbott. Abbott will keep all completed survey forms on file at their office. Forms indicating a change of address will be placed in the individual homeowner’s file and a verification notice sent to the affected homeowner.

All comments and concerns have been noted and will be addressed by the Council of Stewards at the next available meeting. Where indicated, individual homeowners will be contacted regarding progress. [Please note the article included on pages 3 and 4 in the March, 2007 newsletter. This article explained actions already taken on some issues.]

4.  Landscape & Grounds Committee – A proposal to mulch the areas around wetlands next to the sidewalks at Ashby Park and Forest Park, to clean-up and mulch Wolfe Park, and to clean-up the common area between North Faulkner Way and Harper Lee Street was approved. [Estimated cost - $5,500 to Common Reserve]

Upgrading of townhome planting beds on St. Alban’s Lane and the east side of Caldwell was approved. [Estimated cost - $4,500 to Peer Group Reserve]
A proposal to upgrade landscaping and planting beds on Twain Avenue will be reviewed by the Finance Committee in order to make a recommendation regarding available funds.

5.  Architectural Review Committee – An Architectural Standard for Charleston House Portico Repair was submitted and approved. Copies of this standard will be hand-delivered to each Charleston homeowner in the neighborhood. Abbott Enterprises will be provided with copies that will be placed in each applicable owner’s file. This standard was prompted by the repair work required to garage porticos and porches on Charleston homes on Caldwell Lane. These units (nine total) showed premature deterioration from poor design and selection of materials. These repairs were corrected by Cunnane. The standard was written to create a more durable end result, while remaining reasonably consistent with the existing design of the house.

Several individual Architectural Change Requests were discussed.
Committee Records currently stored in Doug Boone’s office on St. Alban’s Lane will be removed and a new location determined.

6.  Newsletter & Website Committee – 2006 year-end newsletter costs totaled $2,028 against a budget of $3,120. The 2007 budget is $1,800.

7.  Covenant Committee – Shannon McLean presented the final draft of the governing document’s Enforcement Policies and Procedures. This is a summary document of key Association policies and procedures. Included with this document were several recommended changes to the Canons of Conduct. It was agreed that changes to the Canons need separate approval prior to general approval of the total summary. A motion was made and approved to have the Covenant Committee review and resubmit the specific changes to the Canons of Conduct. At such time, notification will be made to all homeowners of the recommended changes and a time and place established for approval vote by the Council of Stewards. Covenants and by-laws require that each homeowner receive this notice at least five days prior to the meeting. Disapproval of any of the changes then requires a vote of more than 50% of all (not just attendees) homeowners. It is hoped that completion of preliminary reviews and notification of the meeting will be sent to homeowners in advance of the regular April 25 meeting.

The COS did approve the Summary of Common Violations & Associated Fines as outlined in the committee’s summary document. [See article on pages 3 and 4 and the table of fines at the end of the newsletter.]

• Management Report – The Management Action Log, including the report on delinquent accounts, was presented by Vera Victorino.
• New Business – Further planning and investigation is required regarding resolution of the need for more parking for work units on Caldwell Lane and St. Alban’s Lane.

The status of ownership of the former Patterson Home (857 Concord-Davidson Road) was discussed. The house, formerly in foreclosure, was recently purchased at bank auction and is back on the market. Status of past-due Association assessments is not known at this time.

Adria & Woody Appleby are chairpersons for SPINN 2007. The first organizational meeting is scheduled for March 15.

The meeting was adjourned at 9:35 p.m.