MAINSTREET COMMUNITY SERVICES ASSOCIATION, INC.(MCSA)
MINUTES
BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Mainstreet Clubhouse, 7:30 p.m.
MCSA Board of Directors meeting was held on Tuesday, March 16, 2010. Board members present were: President Rick Harris, Vice President Patrice Diamond, Secretary Audrey Arthur, Treasurer Brenda Johnson and Member-At-Large Elizabeth Jordan-Johnson.
Also in attendance: Mainstreet staff -- Nadine Rivers-Johnson and Kai Holliday, Ron Jockers, a representative of HMS (MCSA’s retained property management company) and Mainstreet residents/homeowners.
Meeting was called to order at 7:35 p.m.
Reading of the Minutes
Secretary Audrey Arthur read minutes. Treasurer Brenda Johnson made a motion to accept the minutes as read and to also add minutes from the last Executive Board meeting as an addendum to the February meeting minutes. Vice President Patrice Diamond seconded the motion. The Board unanimously approved the motion to accept the minutes as prepared.
Reading of the Financials
Treasurer Brenda Johnson read the financial report. Secretary Audrey Arthur made a motion to approve Financials and Vice President Patrice Diamond seconded. The Board unanimously approved the motion to accept the Financials as prepared. According to Ron Jockers, Mainstreet is $20,000 behind in terms of monies collected in March 2010 when compared to March 2009, and the Parkside Townhomes are behind $8,100 in comparison to March 2009. Mainstreet staff members Rivers-Johnson and Holliday negotiation payment plans with those homeowners who are past due at least 60 days in their assessments and owe up to $500.00. Homeowners who are 90 days or more past due are sent a collection letter by HMS, and negotiation payment plans are set by Jockers/HMS. Those homeowners who do not abide by their established payment plan and become delinquent are removed from the payment plan. Ron Jockers will send the Board an outline of the collection process that HMS has in place. Treasurer Brenda Johnson is on record for wanting a “consistent” payment plan created across the board for all homeowners. To date in 2010, an estimated three to five residents have completed the Amnesty Program. To date $5,000 in amnesty payments have been collected. The majority of Amnesty Program participants will be finished with the program in 2010.
Board of Directors’ Report
President’s Report
Mainstreet’s annual Easter Egg Hunt is scheduled for April 3. State Representative Michelle Henson is a sponsor of the Easter Egg Hunt.
DeKalb County Commissioner Sharon Barnes Sutton is sponsoring a Community Fun Day for Mainstreet residents and homeowners on April 17.
Nine to 10 of the major streets in Mainstreet will be repaved and the bridge on Mainstreet Park Drive will be reinforced.
Nadine Rivers-Johnson reported Habitat for Humanity wants to pay $15K to $18K for a home in Mainstreet, and in turn will renovate the home, which will be occupied by a homeowner who will help with the renovation. Habitat for Humanity typically invests $60K to renovate a home. Nadine Rivers-Johnson shared Mainstreet’s Community Design Standards with Habitat for Humanity. Mainstreet is providing volunteers for two Habitat projects in neighboring subdivisions.
Contractors who have been selected to do repairs and/or renovations at the townhomes are under the direction of Mainstreet Community Services Association staff and a designated Board member. Townhome residents who have questions or concerns regarding contractors and/or the work being completed are advised to contact Mainstreet staff directly.
2010 Final Budget
The final 2010 budget is complete and has received MCSA Board approval. HMS will complete the mailing of the final budget to homeowners.
Committee Reports
Welcome Committee – Vice President Patrice Diamond made report. The first welcome event for new Mainstreet residents was held on February 27. The event was attended by four families. The Committee bought welcome gifts and packets for 48 homeowners. Follow up letters were sent to those who did not attend the event.
Garden Committee – Vice President Patrice Diamond made report. The Committee held had a meeting on March 13. The Committee discussed plans for a sitting area with benches to be located near the small pool at the Clubhouse. The benches will be constructed by Mainstreet maintenance staff. A meeting with the Captain Planet Foundation has been rescheduled. The Captain Planet Foundation is willing to donate up to $100K for a Mainstreet community garden and will also assist with planning and materials with the stipulation that Mainstreet must have children participating in the garden project. “Garden mothers” will be recruited to help with the garden project.
Architectural Review Board – President Rick Harris made report. There are 10 open maintenance/covenant violations, six landscaping violations and seven maintenance violations. On the Mainstreet website ( there is an area where residents can report violations 24/7. Residents must remove trash bins from the street following trash collection.
Public Relations/Social Committee – Secretary Audrey Arthur and Nadine Rivers-Johnson made report. Mainstreet Health Fair is scheduled for Saturday, May 29, and will include vision screenings, mammograms and blood pressure checks. On the same day, Mainstreet will also officially open the pools. An updated Mainstreet ID is required to access these events.
Crime Watch Committee – Crime Watch Chair Al Little made report. The Crime Watch committee met on March 13. Going forward, there will be a Crime Watch Committee meeting every two weeks. The Committee is in need of 14 residents to serve as lead volunteers in Mainstreet’s 14 neighborhoods. The Crime Watch Committee proposed securing new Neighborhood Watch signs that would include an email address for the Committee so that residents, in addition to 911, will have a way to report suspicious activities. The Board suggested the Committee contact DeKalb County about getting new Neighborhood Watch signs. The Committee also wants to get 250 Crime Watch magnetic signs to be distributed to Mainstreet residents who will serve as the “eyes and ears of the community.” The cost for the street and magnetic signs is $750. The Committee has proposed conducting workshops on domestic violence that will be of no cost to the community. The Committee will reach out to Redan High School and private schools to invite seniors to submit applications for the Mainstreet Scholarship Program. The scholarship application deadline is April 30. The scholarship application review committee is comprised of Mayme Britt, Paulette Rusnak, Brenda Taylor, Norma Bennett and Edith Clark. The Mainstreet Scholarship luncheon is scheduled for June 26. The Committee plans to host a Youth Summit for those Mainstreet students who are going off to college and into the workplace in fall 2010. The State of Georgia Fatherhood Program will work with the Crime Watch Committee on development of the Youth Summit. Volunteers are needed for the Youth Summit, in particular fathers. The Committee will work on National Night Out planned for August.
Parkside Townhome Committee – No report.
Tennis Committee – Larryette Kyle made report. Mainstreet will add two new day teams to the overall tennis team roster: Seniors (age 50 and over) and Super Seniors. There will be six members on each team. One of the new teams will get started in the summer and the other in the fall. To date, Mainstreet has the following tennis teams: Senior Mixed team in the winter, Women’s team in the spring, Senior Women’s team in the summer and a Business Women’s team in the fall. Secretary Audrey Arthur made a motion to approve pressure washing the tennis courts and President Rick Harris seconded motion. The Board unanimously approved the motion.
Economic Development Committee – No report.
Management Report
Ron Jockers made report.HMS is conducting a seminar for board directors on March 27 that will attended by several MCSA board members. The Mainstreet Board of Directors and Ron Jockers met with Mainstreet’s retained law firm Weissman, Nowack, Curry & Wilco on February 23 for an informational Q&A session that pertained to legal issues as a homeowners association, various Board responsibilities and specific Mainstreet issues.
Old Business
A total of $1,400 has been allocated to replace gutters on the townhomes. Mainstreet maintenance staff will replace the gutters. Maintenance staff will need to receive free training provided by OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) regarding new lead paint certifications.
New Business
The entrance wall at Parkside will need to be repaired, date to be determined.
YMLA will not conduct a summer camp at Mainstreet. New weight equipment for Mainstreet Clubhouse is being donated by YMLA. Vice President Patrice Diamond will review Russell Landscape’s seasonal flower proposal with Landscape Committee Chair Anita Cosey. The pump in the smaller pool has to be fixed along with the circuit breaker in preparation for opening on Memorial Day.
Meeting adjourned at 10:15 p.m.
The next Board of Directors meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, April 20, 2010, at 7:30pm.
Submitted by Secretary Audrey Arthur