Weatherstone Unit Owners Association

HOA Annual General Meeting Minutes

Tuesday, December 5, 2017 – 6:30 PM

Board Members Present: Mike Giordano, Mike Sweigart, Mark McFann

Board Members Absent: None

York H-G Representative: Jenn Staub

The meeting was held in the St. Theresa Parish Activity Center at 1300 Bridge St. in New Cumberland.

  1. CALL TO ORDER/VERIFICATION OF QUORUM

The meeting was called to order at 6:40 PM by President Mike Giordano and seconded by Vice President Mike Sweigart. At this time we did have a quorum of 20 homeowners plus 3 by proxy in attendance, so the meeting continued as planned.

  1. Mike Giordano gave an overview of events and issues that are being addressed by the

Board. These include:

-The Board has worked hard to close the financial gap described to us in the Yingst Engineering Reserve study conducted in early 2016. The Board cut costs in landscaping and snow removal, and the replacement of PMI property management to York H-G property management.

-Mike then introduced Jenn Staub from York H-G Property Management Company to the residents. Jenn is now our reprentative from York H-G.

-Mike asked if anyone knew of a Boy Scout who is possibly working toward his Eagle Scout, and would spearhead an effort to restore and refresh some of the damaged headstones at the cemetery on our property. Other possibilities are a high school senior project. No one at the meeting brought forth any names for this project, however hopefully some names will be forthcoming.

-Mike reminded the residents that the final turnover from Firefly to the HOA will begin in early spring 2018, and that the Board members met with Fairview. He mentioned that there is a bond with monies contributed by Weatherstone, LLC, and being held by Fairview Township that is to be used to cover all costs of completing the development, including the final paving of all three streets, and cleaning of retention pond, building a fence around the retention pond, and hopefully complete all landscaping in the community. Mike also noted that one of our homeowners, George Koch, who is a retired engineer, has been very active in helping with this process. Since none of the Board members has an engineering background, George’s help so far, and throughout the turnover process, will be invaluable in making sure that FairviewTownship does it’s due diligence so that all work is done to proper standards, and the HOA is not stuck with unnecessary expenses due to shoddy workmanship after the builder has moved on.

-Mike then announced that he has sold his home and will be moving out of Weatherstone, and will no longer be able to serve on the Board. This resulted in two openings on the Board, President and Vice President. Mike then said that the election of new officers would take place later in the meeting.

  1. Mike Sweigart then gave his final overview of issues that have been addressed by the Board, including:

-Reminding the residents that the Board members are serving the community to make it a better place to live, and maintain or increase the values of our homes by making Weatherstone a clean and desirable place where home buyers will have great interest.

-Mike also expressed his disappointment with our previous property manager, and happiness with our new relationship with York H-G. He also mentioned that we have had difficulties dealing with builders, one reason was from the bankruptcies, but they have not worked well with the HOA Board.

-Mike also expressed his frustrations with homeowners who chronically do not follow the rules of the community. He reiterated that these rules are in place to ensure that residents are considerate of their neighbors, and not put in place to make Weatherstone a police state. Most violations are dogs that run unleashed in the neighborhood, and whose messes are not cleaned. The Board stressed that residents who see dogs running unleashed should take pictures of the dog. The Board and York H-G are considering the option of posting these pictures on the Weatherstone website, asking residents to anonymously inform York H-G if they know the owner of the dog(s), so that fines can be assessed against violators. The new Board will be deciding how to handle this situation.

  1. FINANCIAL REPORT

Mark McFann first bid farewell to both Mike Giordano and Mike Sweigart who are leaving the Board immediately. He thanked them for the hard work, and friendships they had grown over the last couple of years. Mark then went over the budget, hitting on the following highlights:

Funds in the HOA accounts now total $134,106. The budget from last year projected us to be at $120,427. This puts us over projections by $13,679 for the year.

Last year at this time we had funds totaling $91,288 (accumulated over 9 years by Classic Community). Now we are at $134k, an increase of $43k, so the Board is doing a much better job with the budget than was done by the builder.

Cost Savings included our new project management company, whose new contract will save the HOA about $12,600 per year. Also, a new 3 year deal was struck with JMK Landscaping and snow removal. This will now be at a set monthly rate that will total $47,400 per year. Estimates of servicing the landscaping needs of the total of the 20 buildings in the community, plus snow removal service were initially over $70,000 per year, so the Board’s decision to put out bids for these services resulted in significant savings to the community.

Mark reminded the residents that the Yingst Reserve Fund study from early 2016 showed that we would be $449,000 short of our needs in 20 years. The Reserve Fund is set up to cover roof repairs and replacements, vinyl siding repairs and replacement, street repairs and repaving, and sidewalk repairs and replacement. Cost savings, plus the $16 increase in HOA dues last year now project that we have closed that $449,000 gap, and will have a surplus in 20 years.

There will be no increase in HOA dues in 2018. They will remain at $105/month.

Current projection for this time in 2018 is $167,501, an increase of about $33k. This number could increase if all houses in the community sell, as our projections are based on 97 homes. When Weatherstone is completed, there will be 101 homes.

  1. Mike Giordano led the election process for the two openings on the Board. He stressed the need for someone who lives on Weatherstone Drive to represent on the Board, since about 80% of all residents live on Weatherstone. The residents who were present agreed with that thinking, so Josh Weber, who was the only candidate who lives on Weatherstone, was voted into the position of Vice President for the next year. Steven Jones was elected as President of the HOA Board for the next three years. Congratulations to both Josh and Steven!
  1. QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS FROM THE FLOOR

Q: Who pays for water if fire hydrants are used?

A: None of the Board members or residents is certain of who pays for that water, but probably the township. However, if the burden falls on the HOA, we will pay it.

Q: The deck at 327 Weatherstone needs to be stained, as it is beginning to decay. Can the Board please make that happen?

A: Jenn from York H-G will investigate, and inform the owner that it needs to be done asap if it indeed needs to be stained.

Q: Whose responsibility is it to pay for deck staining?

A: Deck Staining is definitely the responsibility of each homeowner.

Q: Do decks all need to be stained the same color?

A: Yes, as is outlined in the owner’s manual.

Q: Will the retention pond be cleaned out, and if so, by whom?

A: The retention pond will be cleaned out by the builder as part of the turnover. A fence will also be constructed at the pond. Monies for this have already been submitted by the initial builder to FairviewTownship, and will not be released to the contractor until the work is inspected and approved by the Township.

Q: How does the snow plowing process work, and do all cars need to be moved from the streets on snow days.

A: When there is a snowfall of 3 inches or more, all cars must be moved off the streets so that the plowers can clear the streets as close to curb to curb as possible. If a resident is going on vacation during the winter, they should park their car in their garage or driveway. As a rule, any car left on the street on plowing days or nights is subject to towing by MARS towing. Fees last year were $155 per tow, with a $45/day storage charge, and all payments were cash only.

Although there was a homeowner who volunteered to coordinate snow removal for the community this winter, he has since decided that he cannot commit to the time and effort that is required to handle this responsibility, and has backed out. So we are now looking for someone to coordinate the snow removal efforts in the community. The job requires communicating with JMK snow removal, and with the residents of our community to get their cars off of the streets when 3 or more inches of snow is forecast. Also, a follow up note to the community is sent out when it is again safe to park on the street. Please contact any of the Board members or Jenn Staub () at York H-G Property Management if you are interested in taking this position.

  1. ADJOURNMENT

Meeting was adjourned at 8:10 PM by Mike Giordano, and seconded by Vice President Mike Sweigart.

Respectfully submitted by treasurer and secretary,

Mark McFann