ORIMAT AGM Minutes – 2017
Attendance & Acceptance of Proxies
Board Members present: Roy Vokes, Colin McDonald, Robb Watson, Peter Kluchert, Bob Alexander, Paul Del Col, Dan Gilmour, Randall Williams, Bob Videki,John Davidson
Absent: Ken Hord, Greg, Galbraith
Welcome and Opening of Meeting
Roy Vokes called the meeting to order at 9:00 am and welcomed all members. Roy explained that Chairman Ken Hord was unable to attend due to health reasons and he is feeling very good and extends his best wishes to all.
2016 AGM Minutes
A motion was requested to approve the minutes from 2016 AGM as written and distributed.
Motion made by:Randall Williams
Seconded:John Davidson
Vote FOR passed unanimously. None against
Treasurer’s Report – Roy Vokes
Treasurer explained that the nature of the financials of the organization were such that we run at a “zero budget”. As a Board we try to set the membership fees to cover the annual maintenance costs for the road system. If necessary we apply for capital. All aspects of the budgeting werecovered with thanks going to the hard work of Colin McDonald and Bob Alexander for the tight control on the Common Road. Mention was made of the same controls over the Orimat Section, the Winter Committee work and the Secretary with the administration budget. Efficiencies have been achieved with the email system and Larry Murphy has volunteered to make the website more informative and useful.
Account balances as at June 30, 2017 were reported as follows:
General Accounts $28,276
Capital Accounts $141,290
The capital funds have been invested in daily interest accounts that yielded approximately $1,150 over the year. This low yield and high liquidity is being reviewed by the Board and other options are being considered such as staggered GIC investments or other possible longer term investments. One of the revisions to the Constitution that will be voted on later in the meeting addresses the ability to consider other investments.
Looking forward is somewhat a repeat of what was said last year. Maintenance costs will continue to increase with heavier traffic and construction, longer seasonal usage, winter use and constant improvements. The Board expects these conditions to continue and will keep exploring cost savings in an attempt to keep membership fees down and increases to a minimum. Robinson has always worked well with us to keep costs down.
Motion to accept the Treasurers Report made by: Larry Murphy
Seconded: Colin McDonald
Vote FOR passed unanimously. None against
Old Business
- A suggestion was make to have the Road Reps canvass members within their section to determine if the Association has current addresses on file.
- Question about using the fire pumps and if they had been used. Answer was yes. Last use was for the McDonald cottage fire. The membership was further informed about a demonstration to be put on by the local Fire Marshall’s office to review the operation of the pumps to be held July 29, 2017 at 10:00 am at the Poyner property. Members are welcome and there was a further suggestion that a video of the demo be taken and possibly posted to the website. Larry took this under advisement.
- Suggestion made that there be an email blast and website posting if there is a total fire ban imposed in the area. A further suggestion of a possible link on the website. Again, Larry took note.
Committee Reports
Common Road Committee – Colin McDonald
Colin reported that the Committee meets each Spring and Fall to inspect the Common Road and set a budget based on the available membership fees and needs of the road. He went on to thank all the members of the Committee for the hard work and assistance. The points of concentration are as follows:
- Continue to spread granite and improve the base of the road
- Improve the pullovers and increase the number of them
- Improve site lines on the road with shrub and tree removal
- Improve any needed signage primarily at the entrance of the road
- Widening and improving the entrance for safety and access
- Clean garbage and ditches on a continuous basis while grading and laying gravel
Question – Will the beaver dam(s) present an issue for the road? Colin addressed that the dam near the beaver crossing is holding back a lot of water and a failure would be severe. So far so good. The dam that broke in the area of Deadmans Creek took the section of road out and caused 2 days of maintenance. Thanks to Rick Harper for getting access restored in quick manner. All the material in nearby stockpiles was used and will have to be replenished.
Question – Do we have members with heavy equipment that could help out in emergencies? Colin has a tractor that is currently authorized to be used on the road but we have to be selective as to who works on the road due to liability. We can draw on resources such as Rick Harper. Manpower is always appreciated.
Orimat Road Maintenance – Colin McDonald
Much the same to report as above with projects like site line improvement (such as Deep Bay), more pull over areas, improving the ditching, intrusive rock removal, culvert maintenance and repair.
Question –Can something be done about the weeds at the side of the Road? Colin explained that we have a contractor come in once a year to do the clearing and they are due in a couple of weeks. It is tough to find someone who does this type of work.
Colin reminded members that they are responsible for their contractors and any damage caused to the road. It is important that we monitor the condition of the road and if any incidents occur. The SDRCA has a letter of Compliance that is used when new or large construction processes take place. The letter is signed by the member who owns the property.The Board has not made this a requirement to date. Responsibility for damage has also been addressed in the revised Constitution which is being put forth for approval later in the meeting.
Question – Should we send the compliance letter out in an email blast? Parts of the letter are included in our Opening Letter that is provided to members in the Spring of each year. We will continue to look at this issue and report back to members.
Question – Does Robinson have the first right of refusal on septic and driveway related work? No, the time frame for this right that was offered to Robinson when the road was constructed has sincepassed.
Question – Do we post the names of preferred contractors on our site? No we will not do that.
Question – If a vehicle leaves the road and has to be pulled out and there is damage to the road, what is the process to report and recoup costs? The Board was not in a position to provide a clear answer on this point and promised to consider the handling of such situations and report back. It was suggested that if possible pictures be taken and the member be identified for further follow up.
Winter Committee – Dan Gilmour
It was reported that there were 39 members involved with winter use and 15 km of road was plowed during the 2016/17 season. The plowing contract was handled by Robinson. Robinson works under a fixed rate contract at a cost of approximately $20,000. The road was plowed 27 times and Robinson had to use a grader 2 times and a loader 4 times. There was also sanding done a total of 3 times. Currently there is a budget surplus build up of approximately $4,000 that will be carried forward for future spending. It is expected that Robinson will be increasing the quoted price for the 2017/18 season. The WC is looking at contacting other contractors and will decide the direction to take at the Fall meeting. Over the season there were a couple of occasions where the plowing was done late but overall the Committee was very pleased with the service.
Question – when the loader is used the result is large piles of snow that can restrict access in the Spring. What can be done? The WC has spoken to Robinson and these areas will be cleared. Any concerns should be brought up to your Road Reps.
Question – Do snowmobiles have access to our road system? Yes. There are concerns with the speed and narrowness of the road. This is also of concern with ATV use in the other seasons.
Dan made the point that members, guests and renters (if applicable) should be made aware of the need to have winter equipment when using the road. This would mean proper snow tires at a minimum and preferably AWD or 4WD and possibly chains. If the vehicle is notso equipped maybe they should be parked at the gate. COMMON SENSE SHOULD PREVAIL.
It was announced that the Board approved a new process for storing garbage at the gate. A bin had been purchased from Costco for approximately $400 and would be placed at the front gate for garbage disposal and Tuesday morning pick up. This was being tried for the upcoming season in an attempt to keep the area clean and protect the garbage from the ravaging of birds and animals. Members have had to clean the area on several occasions in the past. The bin will not be locked and will be fully accessible. It is not known if the bin will take the capacity of the garbage produced. There was extensive discussion regarding this issue and the spending of member funds on a situation that in reality involved very few members and the inconvenience of garbage placement. After some time was spent on the subject it was generally supported by the membership and Robb stressed that we will be hopeful that members will be good stewards of our environment and not abuse this trial. The Board will monitor and report back to the membership as to the success or failure of this initiative.
Election of Directors
The Board put forth the slate of Directors who are willing to stand for re-election.
Chairperson – Ken Hord
Secretary – Robb Watson
Treasurer – Roy Vokes
Director (SDRCA) – Bob Alexander
Director – John Davidson
Director – Paul Del Col
Director (SDRCA) – Greg Galbraith
Director – Dan Gilmour
Director (SDRCA) – Peter Klutchert
Director – Colin McDonald
Director (SDRCA) – Bob Videki
Director – Randall Williams
Motion to approve the Directors as listed made by: Brian Jefferies
Seconded: Bob Alexander
Vote FORpassed unanimously. None against.
Tom Cumming commended the Board and their ability to run the Association with dedication and concern for the Membership and their best interest. The Board thanked Tom for his kind comments.
New Business
Request for approval of capital spending – Colin McDonald reported that on May 1st 2017 a portion of the Common Road was washed out in a severe rain storm at an area referred to as Deadmans Creek. The damage caused a total washout of the road section and resulted in a complete closure to traffic. Emergency repairs were done to the Road and it was able to be reopened in a matter of hours. The cost of the repairs was approximately $3,830. A request was made to take $2,300 from the Orimat capital account to cover the “Orimat cost” and a request would be made to the SDRCA for their proportionate cost of $1,530.
Motion to accept request made by:John Davidson
Seconded by:Roy Vokes
Vote FOR passed unanimously. None against
Roy Vokes reported thatas per the meeting notice, the Board has made a revision to the Orimat Constitution and incorporated a number of changes that have evolved over time. It was explained that the Constitution has to be treated as an ongoing project an amended occasionally. The amended Constitution was uploaded to the website for review with the changed sections highlighted in bold print. The current version (2006) was also available on the website for review and comparison. The meeting announcement letter suggested the members review the changes and come to this meeting with any concerns. Some of the changes were expanded upon to bring clarity to the members about the process. Bob Alexander expressed support of the Constitutional revision and presented a request from the SDRCA Board to have the opportunity to meet with the other members of the Board to discuss some of the changes made to Section 9 concerning winter use. He stressed that the outcome of these meetings may require more changes to this specific section. The Board agreed to meet and go over any concerns with the winter use section.
Motion to accept the revised Constitution made by: Larry Murphy
Seconded by: John Davidson
Vote FOR passed unanimously. None against
Request for approval of capital spending – Colin McDonald reported that at the meeting of the Board of Directors this past Spring it was decided to repair the road through the underpass at Hydro Glen. The surface has deteriorated over time and could pose a safety hazard if left unattended. The loose gravel is hazardous for member traffic and for the larger garbage trucks servicing the area. It was determinedthat a liability situation was developing for Orimat. The Board is requesting that the members approve this decision and allow the transfer of $4,500 from capital to cover the cost of the work.
Motion to accept request made by:Brian Jefferies
Seconded by:Tara Hord
Vote FOR passed unanimously. None against
Request for approval of capital spending – The previously approved installation of an additional fire pump came with the cost of approximately $1,100 and a request to have a transfer of this capital was tabled.
Motion to approve the capital expenditure made by: Dan Gilmour
Seconded by: Tara Hord
Vote FOR passed unanimously. None against
Question Period
Question – One new member joined Orimat this past year, what is the possibility of new members in the future? It was reported that the opportunity for new members is quite limited. The road extensions are all maxed out and there are very few empty lots or non members. SDRCA has indentified the potential for 16 new members.
Question – Does Orimat have any delinquent accounts? It was reported that there are none of any concern. Often members are late submitting their dues but this alone does not constitute delinquency.
Question – is there still a one bag limit for garbage? This limit was confirmed correct by the Board.
Motion to adjourn made by: Brian Jeffries
Seconded by: Bob Videki
Vote FOR passed unanimously. None against
Meeting adjourned at 10:55 am