Pointe Meadows Home Owners Association

New Facebook Group

2012-02-01T11:16:00.001-07:00

Hi everyone. I apologize for not updating this blog regularly and I will try to do better from now on. A suggestion given to me at our meeting yesterday evening was to start a Facebook group for homeowners and residents in the townhomes. This will be a place for us all to communicate better with each other and discuss needs/concerns in our community. If you are interested in joining please let us know and we will add you.

http://www.facebook.com/groups/183207731787346/

Annual meeting

2010-12-30T19:50:00.000-07:00

Just a reminder of our upcoming:

Annual HOA Pointe Meadows Townhomes HOA Meeting

When: Tuesday January 11th, at 6PM

Where: Legacy Center-Lehi

Conference Room #3

Who: All homeowners should plan on

attending.

We have many important issues to discuss:

· Lawsuit/Litigation: Our attorney Michael B. Miller will give us an update.

· Landscaping / Snow Removal issues

· Finances / Proposed 10% Monthly Dues Increase / Reserve Account

· Parking issues

· Elections: Board members / President

· Other Miscellaneous issues

I would expect the preponderance of this meeting will be dedicated to two [2] main issues:

[a] our lawsuit---efforts, progress, updates and future plans. [b] financial issues and concerns---especially the new Utah Legislation requiring HOA’s to have a reserve fund by 2012.

If you are interested in becoming a board member / president or if you have any questions or concerns, please email us pointmeadowshoa@gmail.com.

Thanks!

Please Mark Your Calendars!

June Newsletter

2010-06-23T16:44:00.001-06:00

GENERAL COMMUNITY INFORMATION

It’s hard to believe we are well into summer, school is out, and now have a chance to review the first six months of this year. Our HOA Board remains intact and working through the various issues and problems that confront us on a regular basis. Their time and effort is appreciated as we meet and discuss ways to keep Pointe Meadows a pleasant place to live for everyone, raise our children, and protect the aesthetics of our neighborhood.

Following are some of the issues we are facing today.

LANDSCAPING:

Our current landscape provider is Norton Industries. Ed Norton is a seasoned veteran, as well as very knowledgeable, on landscaping and landscaping issues.
Unfortunately, Norton’s walked into “propeller blades” when they took on Pointe Meadows. Every year we are faced with making repairs to the “shoddy” way our landscaping was laid-out, constructed, and maintained prior to our HOA taking over. Throughout May and June, we walked the entire area identifying problems, making repairs, and getting the system working. At one point we had to include Lehi City as old valves were replaced, trenches dug, and new lines installed.
I’m happy to report that we are now ‘hitting-on-all-eight-cylinders” and have a great operating system. I’ve noticed a big change, especially in the common area by the chain-link fence. We need your help identifying broken sprinklers, leaking pipes, malfunctioning valves, etc….we need your eyes and responses when you see areas that need attention. Please send any concerns to our Pointe Meadows email address: pointmeadowshoa@gmail.com

We notice several shrubs [22 we’ve identified] and trees [13 we’ve identified] that are dead and / or dying that need immediate care. I would ask you to send a quick note to our blog or send an email to pointmeadowshoa@gmail.com with your address, plant location and number of shrubs that need replaced and we’ll get them swapped-out. It is more cost effective for us to do this work ourselves instead of going through the landscaper. If you would be willing to lend a helping hand with this project, please let us know as well.

Marissa Cohen has identified a source for trees via treeutah that provides funding for tree planting under a grant from the Urban & Community Forestry Organization. This is a non-profit organization that, under their direct supervision, will provide trees and all planting material and supplies to encourage tree planting in the State of Utah….at no cost to us. We will make application for these funds so that, this fall, we may be able to plant a lot of trees in our subdivision.

LAWSUIT / LITIGATION: IMPORTANT NOTICE

Progress continues to be made on the lawsuit against the Pointe Meadows builder and developer. Until the lawsuit reaches a resolution, there are a few items of extreme importance.

First, absolutely no exterior repairs (or interior repairs caused by the failure of the exterior building systems) can be made to any unit until the HOA Board gives that unit owner written approval to perform the repairs. Before any repairs are made, you must contact Marissa Cohen (at pointmeadowshoa@gmail.com) from the HOA Board who will immediately contact our legal counsel. Our legal counsel has to coordinate the repairs with the opposing attorneys/parties who all have the right to be present while the repairs are made. Once approved and coordinated, the repair work can proceed. Emergency repairs will be expedited. This process will not only protect the HOA for purposes of the lawsuit, but it will also help the HOA to ensure that all repairs are done properly. More information will be given at the time of approval, but it is likely that you will be required to document the repair procedures with photos. These photos must be sent to the HOA Board within 10 days of the repair work being completed. We appreciate your cooperation in advance. We cannot afford to compromise the lawsuit at this stage in the litigation by not following these procedures.

Second, we need your assistance in keeping our legal counsel informed of continuing water intrusion and other building problems. It is impossible for the HOA Board, our legal counsel, and construction experts to know when a unit is experiencing water intrusion or other problems related to the construction of the townhomes if they go unreported. Therefore, every owner must report these problems each time they occur. This information can be extremely valuable for purposes of the lawsuit. Please report these problems promptly, preferably with photos illustrating the damage, to the HOA Board at pointmeadowshoa@gmail.com. The HOA Board will then forward it to our legal counsel.

The HOA is currently working on a more formal repair protocol that it can use to help ensure all HOA members understand how repairs need to be reported and performed. This formal repair protocol will, among other things, further elaborate on the information requested above. Remember, the HOA Board wants to tackle the most important repairs first and feel the biggest concern right now is repairing any water intrusion problems that you may be experiencing…most likely into your basements, windows, window wells, etc.

Our legal efforts are moving quickly now and we will be getting regular updates from our attorney as we move forward.

MISCELLANEOUS:

We have been inundated with dog complaints lately from throughout the neighborhood.
One more time, let me reiterate the policy at Pointe Meadows as well Lehi City.
“Any dog / pet must be on a leash and under the control of a responsible person when outside the home and within the common area of Pointe Meadows HOA.”
The area from the chain-link fence by the railroad tracks on the south to Pointe Meadows Drive on the north and from the Library on the east to the west end of the neighborhood is considered part of the HOA.
Do not let your dogs run wild within this area. Should any dog be unleashed within our common area, I would encourage you to call Lehi animal control immediately. [801-768-7100]. If the owner can be identified, please let the Board now and that pet owner will be fined.

With the weather finally being more user friendly, children are playing outside in the neighborhood. Please drive carefully and watch out for them playing in the front yards. And parents please supervise your children and teach them to watch out for and get out of the way of cars.

We are trying to be better communicators and keep everyone involved and updated on a regular basis via our new Pointe Meadows blog. Please refer to this site, on occasion, should you wish to hear the latest news…..we’ll try to keep it updated and current, however; your comments are welcome via our email
http://pointemeadows.blogspot.com

Thanks for keeping your vehicles off the streets and not parked overnight. Also, thanks for collecting your trash containers at the end of trash day and getting them off the street and out of sight.
We appreciate everyone’s efforts.

Thank you for making Pointe Meadows a great place to live!

Parking and Garbage Can Reminder

2010-03-04T16:30:00.002-07:00

This is just a reminder that there is no long-term parking on the street so please try to not have cars parked on the street overnight. If you have a visitor or some circumstance that requires you to park on the street for more than a day, please email us and we can work with you. Otherwise, you will be given a warning and then we can tow the vehicle.

Also garbage cans should be stored either in the garage or in the backyard. Any garbage can left in a driveway or in the front of the property will be given a warning notice. After the warning, there is a fine for leaving a garbage can out. We have not been as good at enforcing this as we would like, but will be going around either this week or next to give violation notices.

Thanks!

March 2010 Newsletter

2010-03-04T16:22:00.004-07:00

*****IMPORTANT*****

The Townhomes at Pointe Meadows, a planned unit development, was established pursuant to The Proclamation of Easements, Covenants, Conditions, & Restrictions (known as CC&R’s) by the community’s developer. As described in the CC&R’s, any individual that purchases a townhome within Pointe Meadows is automatically a member of the Townhomes at Pointe Meadows Owners Association (Association) and is subject to the CC&R’s.

According to the CC&R’s, the Association is responsible for the maintenance and repair of the Common Areas and the townhome unit exteriors and roofs. As the Association’s Board of Directors, we are faced with making decisions that will ensure that we have sufficient funds in our account to pay for the various repairs, structural defects, weather damage, etc.

When first created by the developer, the Association’s monthly dues were set low so the units could be sold more easily. While the assessments may have covered annual expenses (like landscaping and snow removal), they have not provided the Association with a necessary reserve account that can be used when common area maintenance is required. During the past several years, the Board has only requested one monthly dues increase; a minuscule $5.00 enacted 12 months ago.

The Association cannot keep postponing needed maintenance and deferring repairs to potential problems…roofs, windows, stucco, cement, other general repairs, etc, especially in light of the construction problems we are facing. These needs are bearing down on us fast and we need to act now. As Board Members, we would not be fulfilling our fiduciary responsibilities if we didn’t have resources to pay for the repairs that will surely come.

The Association Board is fully aware that this is a difficult issue for the community, especially with the make-up of our neighborhood as well as economic considerations of young families, single parent families, students, etc. who now call Pointe Meadows home.

The Association’s Board is developing ways to create revenue streams that will fund repairs that need to be made, in the not-too-distant future, to the exteriors of each unit. Basically, the Board is developing a remediation plan in anticipation of these future needs, especially as our buildings grow older.

We need to make a substantial investment and commitment to our community to ensure the neighborhood’s livability as well as the property values of our homes by adjusting our monthly HOA fees to a level allowed by our CC&R’s…. Therefore, effective April 1st, 2010, our monthly assessments will be increased to $99.00 per month.

Here is our plan. We will use the additional $19.00 per month from each unit and put it in a reserve (rainy day account) for needed repairs. We will develop and establish a protocol, of sorts, that dictates how complaints are to be handled as well as how these additional funds will be spent. With the help of various professionals, we want to make sure the most important repairs are made first and that they are made correctly.

This newsletter has not been easy to write; these trying economic times do not make this need any easier to accept. However, this is the most painless option we have, as the other choice would have been to charge a lump sum special assessment that could run into the hundreds of dollars per homeowner.

We have spent countless hours and many conversations with legal counsel, our management company, and various other individuals who helped us formulate this plan. Pointe Meadows is too important to become a blighted neighborhood because we didn’t take care of the needs staring at us today.

We appreciate your understanding.

Thank you for making Pointe Meadows a great place to live

2100 N Construction info

2010-02-27T16:51:00.002-07:00

Crews have begun construction on 2100N (for the Mountain View Corridor project) and the UTA Frontrunner bridges. They have officially closed 2100 N between Pointe Meadows Dr. and 2300 West and have suggested that those needing to get to the other side of the railroad tracks use 1500 N as an alternative. This section of road will not reopen until they have completed the bridges (for the trains) and rebuilt the road beneath them. They estimate this to be complete in the Fall of 2011. For information on the project please visit: http://www.udot.utah.gov/mountainviewutcounty/

If you scroll down towards the bottom of the page, there is an option for entering your email address and they will send you construction updates.

Although the construction noise and road closures will be a hassle for a while, we are hoping that this will be great addition to our area. It should make the road safer and make it unnecessary for the trains to have to honk their horns so much. It is also rumored that this will hopefully provide the drainage needed to solve some of the basement water issues that are common in our area, but that is still unknown.

The Annual Pointe Meadows HOA Meeting

2008-12-18T14:31:00.002-07:00

When: Thursday, January 15th, 2009 7:00 p.m.
Where: Cabela’s – 2502 W. Grand Terrace Pkwy, Lehi

Meeting Agenda:

A. Welcome – Kent Wickham & Joe Walters of Advantage Management.
B. Law Suit update: Michael Miller- Vial Fotheringham
C. Financial Report- Parker Morrill
D. Proposed dues increase by $5 effective 3rd quarter 2009- Kent Wickham
E. Election and confirmation of POINTE MEADOWS HOA Board by private ballot -Joe Walters
F. Question and Answer Period – Joe Walters & HOA Board.

***NOTE- We need at least 65% or 42 homeowners present to vote on the board or to make certain community decisions. We look forward to seeing you at the meeting!!***

October Newsletter

2008-10-10T12:34:00.002-06:00

GENERAL COMMUNITY INFORMATION

Our current HOA Board has been in place and actively working, in behalf of all residents of Pointe Meadows, for several months with a couple individuals having participated in the management of the HOA for over two years. The central theme has always been to make this an attractive, pleasant place to live for all who call Pointe Meadows home. Our goal, as trustees, is to strive toward the improvement of the overall aesthetics of our neighborhood, protect property values, as well as make this a safe and protected environment in which to raise a family.

We are rapidly approaching our annual HOA meeting in which every property owner can participate and make suggestions for change, join the HOA, and /or make comments they feel relevant to the future of our neighborhood. We anticipate our annual meeting to be the week of January 5th, 2009 and will make sure we send out notices with ample time for you to make plans to attend. Our January-2009 meeting will be especially important, as we plan to invite our Attorneys to attend and share updates on the progress of the American Housing lawsuit.

LAWSUIT / LIIGATION:

Regarding the progress of our litigation efforts, as of September 2008:

* For the next few months, the process is going to slow down as discovery commences. The entire discovery process generally lasts, for a case of this magnitude, any where from 6 to 9 months if things move smoothly.

*One VERY important thing - now that litigation is official, any work the Association or property owner does on anything related to the lawsuit needs to be documented. Depending on what is involved, opposing counsel may need to be called and given the opportunity to be in attendance during the repair. The Association and property owners should always document repairs with photos and reports. Please contact Joe at the number above and he will help coordinate things with the attorneys.

CASH FLOW & SNOW REMOVAL:

We feel like we have made a lot of progress this year with several improvements and changes:

*Our biggest expense has always been landscape related items and this year was no exception. The common area, next to the chain-link fence, has seen remarkable improvement with adjustments with more watering, better watering times and days as well as regular applications of weed-n-feed. We still have a ways to go before we can make this area look like a “golf community with manicured greens and fairways”. Our entire sprinkler system is now in pretty good shape with most breaks, control boxes and water lines repaired. Also, we have added to our decorative bark around the shrubs, raised sunken sidewalks and driveways where we felt safety was an issue, replaced several trees, and tried to keep trash picked-up throughout the neighborhood.

*We are now facing another large expenditure item with pending snow removal for the 2008-2009 snow season. As we ‘drilled-down’ into last year’s snow removal budget item, we discovered that the benefit of hiring several crews to physically shovel our walks and driveways did not result in an adequate return on our investment. So this year, we are going to hire a company to plow and salt the streets and main sidewalks only and leave it to the individual homeowner to shovel their own sidewalks and driveways. For those who prefer to have someone else shovel their walks, then you would need to work directly with the snow removal company and pay that expense of hand shoveling personally. If we undertake the responsibility and duties of shoveling driveways and steps, we are charged $25 per hour per man…a pretty hefty expense to pile onto our budget.

*Our requested increase in the monthly HOA fees was implemented September 1st, 2008, which resulted in our monthly dues increasing from $75.00 per month to $80.00 per month. This $5.00 per month increase may seem minimal, however, the annual impact will go a long way in helping us offset our rising expenses for the HOA. Your support with this item was appreciated.

*Also, we have a new monthly HOA payment method implemented by Advantage Management. This new system will leave no questions as to the monthly amount due [coupon book], where to send payments [return envelope] as well as help us fund our HOA account more rapidly so that our suppliers and vendors will be paid more quickly.

MISCELLANEOUS:

*The fastest way to get in trouble with the HOA board is to leave your trash cans out and in sight after trash day as well as parking on the street overnight. With winter weather and snow just around the corner, our snow crews may be working our neighborhood at any given time—night or day—so do not park on the streets. We will not be held responsible for damage to vehicles that are parked in the way of these snow removal trucks and plows.

*Also, please be aware of where we have fire hydrants and do not park within 5-10 feet of every hydrant. Our plans are to paint the curb red around the hydrants as well as insure our snow removal crews do not pile-up snow around these areas. Lehi Fire Department asked us to make sure the area around the hydrants are clear of snow. They also mentioned that snow crews and plows tend to pile snow along each side of the roadways making it difficult for them to get their large fire trucks down our streets, especially if vehicles are parked on the road as well…please keep vehicles off the streets overnight.

*Of course, we continue to ask that everyone please be considerate of their neighbors, take care of their property, restrain and pick-up after their pet, and manage their children by respecting the privacy of others. Our hope, as a board, is that we will not have to take any steps to enforce these rules; however, sometimes the only remedy to correct the problems is to enforce our CC&R’s

Should you wish to communicate directly with the HOA board members regarding issues, concerns, or general comments, please send us an email at: pointmeadowshoa@gmail.com. We will discuss any and all questions or concerns as soon as possible and respond accordingly. Anyone is welcome to attend a board meeting to share comments, concerns and suggestions during the first fifteen minutes of each board meeting. Please let us know if you want to attend and participate. Currently, we are planning our next monthly board meetings for December 3rd @ 6:00 P.M.

July Newsletter

2008-07-07T17:23:00.005-06:00

COMMUNICATING WITH THE HOA BOARD

Should you wish to communicate directly with the HOA board members regarding issues, concerns, or general comments, please send us an email at: pointmeadowshoa@gmail.com. We will discuss any and all questions or concerns as soon as possible and respond accordingly. Anyone is welcome to attend a board meeting to share comments, concerns and suggestions during the first fifteen minutes of each board meeting. Please let us know if you want to attend and participate. Currently, we are planning board meetings for July 31st, September 25th, and November 26th. All meetings will be held @ 6:00 P.M. Also, mark your calendar for our annual HOA board meeting for electing new officers to the Pointe Meadows Homeowners Association. This meeting is tentatively planned for the second week of January 2009.

BUDGET ITEMS: * * * [IMPORTANT] – PLEASE READ * * *

It is with some trepidation that we make this announcement: effective September 1st, our monthly HOA dues will be increase by $5.00 to $80.00 per month. Here is a snapshot of our current financial situation and what is behind this tough decision:

1. The existing monthly fee of $75.00 has been our standard and base since the inception of Pointe Meadows in 2004-2005. Like everything else, over the last three to four years, our costs and expenses have escalated. We have taken our financial responsibilities seriously and spent our money as wisely as we could. We, as the HOA board, have worked diligently to keep our costs in check and have been as “tight-fisted” as possible. We realize that $5.00 is sometimes hard to come by in these difficult times.

2. In 2007, we spent $10,653 for snow removal. In 2008, we budgeted $12,784 [+20%] for snow removal; however, because of the severe winter we had this year, we actually spent $16,970.

3. At the beginning of the spring-summer season of 2007, we found many sprinkler problems, pipe breaks, control boxes malfunctioning, sprinkler heads broken and several other issues that required a lot of repairs and maintenance. I’m sure you remember the poor condition the lawns and common area was in and the emergency effort our landscaper performed in replacing dead plants and trees as well as getting a consistent water supply and fertilizer to our yards. These unexpected repairs drained an extra $7500 from our operating budget, an expense we hadn’t planned on. The impact to our bottom-line was well over $19,600 in gardening-type expenses.

4. In an effort to beautify our neighborhood, we felt it important to replace and add to the bark around our yards and shrubs. Most, if not all, the bark has vanished over the last few years, so we were anxious to get this project completed. The new bark is bigger, to avoid wind damage, and is specially treated to help with weed control. Our expected cost for this project will be approximately $3500.

5. The one single, biggest expense this year was for an expert report to assess the extent of our construction problems and defects. The report was prepared as part of the litigation process against American Housing, but it is also intended to help us identify critical repairs and budget for these expenses. I’m sure some of you witnessed a representative from Western Architectural digging, climbing, inspecting, and generally poking around each of our homes looking for construction defects, poor workmanship, building code violations and areas where the developer and builder cut corners and generally did a poor job. We have a 192 page report that indicates problem areas. This report can be viewed, in it’s entirety, at the Advantage Management offices in Orem. We also have a CD that has the same information if you prefer. Due to client-attorney privilege, this report must be viewed at Advantage Management offices until we get through our court filings and hearings…contact Joe Walters at 801-235-7368.

Our attorneys, working on a contingency basis, have filed our lawsuit with the courts against American Housing, as well as any others involved with the construction and development of Pointe Meadows. They were served with the details of our complaint, including the 192 page report from Western Architectural, on June 30th. Our cost to investigate and determine if, in deed, we had a strong case and viable complaint was approximately $10,600. This will be our only expense in regards to our litigation.

6. The next project on our radar-screen is to repair the uneven sidewalks and driveways. Several areas throughout the neighborhood have severe areas where large sidewalk and driveway sections have dropped or sunk and are creating a safety hazard. We have received two bids from companies that can “lift” these sections by pumping a grout mixture under the concrete sections and lifting them up. We don’t want to spend too much money here because the concrete issue is part of our litigation; however, some areas are pretty severe and we can’t wait. As our cash flow allows, we will instruct the crew from Lift-Rite Company to go through the neighborhood and pump-up the most critical areas first so we don’t have a “tripping” hazard. However, some driveways are so bad that they will require a lot of time and money [$2000 to $4000], so we will need to wait on our lawsuit for financial relief.

We, as trustees of Pointe Meadows Homeowners Association, have contributed a lot of personal time, discussion, and financial planning to this monthly dues issue…. we have been hesitant and unyielding to any monthly fee changes for over 18 months. However we now need to get our financial house in order and appreciate your support.

GENERAL COMMUNITY INFORMATION

In an ideal world, everyone would be considerate of their neighbors in the way that they care for their property, restrain and pick-up after their pets, manage their children and have concern for property values. In the real world, this is not always the case.

In the past, the HOA board has had to deal with vehicles parked on the sidewalks and streets, trash containers stored in driveways, often overflowing with trash, garbage and litter on the street, left for days, that receive little attention, as well as other issues that make the homes and our neighborhood unattractive. Most homeowners care for their property very well. We, as trustees, strive to make this an attractive, pleasant place to live for the greatest number of homeowners, while preserving the marketability of our homes. Our hope, as a board, is that we will not have to take any steps to enforce these rules; however sometimes the only remedy to correct the problems is to enforce our CC&R’s.

MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS:

Trash Can Storage
Trash Cans must be stored within the garages or backyards at all times, except on trash pick up day. Trash cans must be returned within 24 hours of trash pick up. Our policy is to give one warning, then start accessing fines with the second and third offenses [$50 and $100, respectively].

Parking Assignments
Owners or their designee’s may park only in the driveway or garage purchased with the owner’s unit. The Board has the right to remove from the premises and streets any vehicle(s), which may be parked overnight or considered a hazard or nuisance. We have limited sidewalks in our neighborhood with the only walkway being on one side of the streets. Please refrain from parking on the sidewalks so we can keep pedestrians, children and parents out of the roadway.
Also, Pointe Meadows has no designated visitor or guest parking. Therefore, we would request that any visitors or guests park in their host’s driveway and / or on the street in front of the visiting residence.

Pets
Pets must be attended to and under the control of a responsible person at all times. Dogs must be on a leash or carried whenever in a common area. Pet owners are encouraged to take their pets to the park for exercise and relief trips, and are not to create nuisances in common and limited common areas. To ensure the neighborhood environment remains pleasant for all, residents who walk their pets on the grounds must clean up after their pets. Failure to do so will result in fines levied [$50] on the pet owner by the Association. Also, residents are required to keep their pets from barking and disturbing other residents. If the Board receives a complaint concerning an animal barking insistently, the Board will, at its sole discretion, take action to remedy it. It is only common courtesy to prevent your dog from barking and creating a nuisance.

Children
Owners and lessees are responsible at all times for the reasonable conduct of their family members and guests. Parents are responsible for the conduct of their children at all times. This means that children need to be aware of the hazards of playing in the street and taught to get-out-of-the-way when vehicles are approaching. Please, Please manage your children and their toys; remind them to respect other’s privacy and to be mindful of the possibility of injury when playing in the street.

Sidewalk & Fence Stains
Over the last couple of years, Lehi City has had to draw water from a well that had excess amounts of iron and various elements that have stained our sidewalks, driveways and fences. The iron content of this well has now been repaired and the stain problem has been eliminated. However, as you can see, we are left with unsightly brown stains throughout the neighborhood. We have been requesting Lehi City Water Department to keep their word and return to our area and “wash” and “scrub” these brown stains off our property. They have an environmentally safe solution that can be sprayed on these areas that will return our concrete and fences back to normal. Of course, they are not keeping their promise to us and are stalling using a variety of excuses and reasons why they can’t help us…. this is wrong!

The HOA Board, as well as a couple of willing neighbors, have already been contacting them, however, we need a louder voice and your help by emailing and calling the City Commissioner over this project. We need to encourage him to hold up their end of the bargain. The fees, water bills, and charges we all pay are sufficient to cover this clean-up expense. Please help us by contacting this Lehi Councilman and requesting they clean up their mess.

MARK JOHNSON
Lehi Councilman
mij@jub.com

801-768-8811

Annual HOA Meeting - PLEASE ATTEND!!

2007-12-07T00:27:00.000-07:00

THE ANNUAL MEETING FOR THE TOWNHOMES AT POINTE MEADOWS HOMEOWNERS' ASSOCIATION WILL BE HELD ON JANUARY 10, 2008 AT CABELAS @ 7:00 PM

PLEASE PLAN ON ATTENDING!!!

Tentative agenda items:
Electing New Officers
HOA Fees & Monthly Dues
Existing Rules & Regulations
Landscaping
Current Budget and Expenses

We will be mailing out notices and posting fliers with more information. We have to have a good turnout in order to get things done! Please make every effort to attend this meeting; it only happens once a year. If you absolutely can not attend, please make use of the proxy voting forms that we will be sending out. Hope to see you there!!!

November 2007 Newsletter

2007-10-31T22:21:00.000-06:00

NEW COMMUNITY WEB SITE

Currently, the HOA board meets approximately every month to go over any issues and concerns of the community. The Board is a volunteer effort comprised of owners and residents of Pointe Meadows striving to improve our neighborhood. To keep everyone up to speed with what is discussed at each HOA board meeting, we have created our own community blog http://www.pointemeadows.blogspot.com/. This is an information site only; however, should you wish to communicate directly with the HOA board members regarding issues, concerns, or general comments, please send us an email at: pointmeadowshoa@gmail.com. We will discuss any and all questions or concerns at the next meeting and respond accordingly. Anyone is welcome to attend a board meeting to share comments, concerns and suggestions during the first fifteen minutes of each board meeting. Please just let us know if you want to participate and we’ll advise you of the next meeting. [Usually held on a Friday @ 4:00PM at one of the board member’s home]

LANDSCAPING / SNOW REMOVAL

We have been focusing on existing budget items as we close-out summer and landscaping concerns and begin considering winter issues and snow removal. We have a lot of needs for our HOA money and want to spend it wisely and prudently.

We are anticipating hiring another snow removal company this year that will be more responsive to our needs. In previous years, the reaction time for snow removal left a lot to be desired. Often times, streets, sidewalks and driveways were not shoveled until late afternoon, if at all.

However, this year’s contract will specify a more timely response to snow days and would expect our sidewalks and driveways to be shoveled early in the morning right after the last snow flake has fallen. The general rule is that an accumulation of more than 2 inches of snow will generate a call-out for snow removal.
The sprinklers have been turned off for the year and the landscaper will be blowing-out the lines/pipes and winterizing our irrigation system over the next few days. Just a reminder, the HOA is not responsible for your own personal property and back yards, so please winterize your system prior to cold weather. This includes:
1. Disconnect any hoses from the outside faucets or the pipes will freeze that go into your homes through the foundation.
2. Open the valves on any underground sprinklers. This will allow the water to drain and not pool and break pipes.
3. Make sure the sprinkler control box shows the sprinklers in the “off” position or even unplugged. If your main control is not in the off position, then the sprinkler valves will continue to open and close, regardless if there is water circulating through your system. Of course, during cold weather, these valves will break as they try to operate.
4. If possible, blow-out the pipes with air pressure, similar to what our landscaper will do to our system. This will force water out the valves and sprinkler heads and not leave any residual water in the pipes that can freeze and break sprinkler heads, valves and damage your sprinkler system.
5. Make sure your rain cutters and down spouts are clear of dirt, weeds, bark or debris and not over-grown with grass. The rain / snow coming off your roof needs to drain into those pipes and away from your homes. The down-spout outlets should be at least 10 feet away from your foundation.
We want to prevent and/or mitigate any sprinkler system damage similar to what we experienced last year. We spent over $7500 fixing our sprinkler system because the winterizing wasn’t handled properly.

PARKING

We continue to enforce the HOA’s parking rules as dictated by the Pointe Meadows CC&R’s….the same, unedited and unchanged, rules and regulations we all signed-up for when we chose to live at Pointe Meadows.

Our “No Parking” signs at the end of 2080 West, 2040 West and 2175 North were vandalized recently. The posts were removed at 2080 and 2040 and the sign stolen / lost / removed from 2175. We filed a police report with the Lehi Police Department and gave a description of the individual responsible for this action. This immature and unethical behavior only resulted in additional funds being spent from our HOA budget, money that could have been used for more worthwhile projects, to replace these signs. Regardless, we will prosecute to the fullest extent of the law when confronted with these types of issues in the future.
On the back-side of the newsletter we will mail and pass out, we added a “visitor” parking pass that can be used when we have any guests, family, friends, etc visiting us that may need to park on the street over-night. We want to avoid towing vehicles when possible and would ask you to please place this pass on the dash-board of any guest vehicle parked over night on the street. As information, we are now keeping a record of vehicle, license numbers, model, dates, places etc of cars that receive parking warnings and will make this information available to anyone expressing interest. Also, prior to towing vehicles in the future, I will personally reach-out to that vehicle’s owner and discuss the situation. Of course, if none of these efforts corrects the problem, then our last resort will be to tow the vehicle.

GENERAL COMMUNITY INFORMATION

Finally, American Housing has been working to resolve the wet basements and water problems several of our residents have been experiencing. [22 units total] As of October 15th, American Housing has completed approximately 60% to 70% of the basements originally identified as having major water problems. We have endured tractors, piles of rock / dirt, mud and crews working in resident’s basements as they install a drainage system to alleviate the basement water problems we’ve tolerated for 2 years. Hopefully, the end of this ordeal is in sight. Eventually, we’ll make the necessary repairs to our grass and landscaping after they are through with this project.
Please note that our Advantage Management representative, Jeff Sucher, has moved to Colorado to manage a new business opportunity; we wish him well in this new endeavor. Please join me in welcoming Alan Arthur to our Pointe Meadows project. Alan has already had a “baptism-by-fire” as we’ve included him in the recent operation of our HOA. Alan can be reached at [866]-500-7368 or alan@advantagemanagement.com.
Recently, we received information regarding a Neighborhood Watch program. Unfortunately, we live in a time when these types of groups are needed and warranted to protect our children and property. I would encourage our residents to join-up and help patrol our neighborhood. Please be aware and vigilant to anyone who seems out of place and don’t hesitate to contact the Lehi Police when anything seems suspect.
We still need some volunteers to help us on the HOA board. We would like to invite others to join us. We just need individuals who have a willingness to help our neighborhood become better than it is. If you are interested and have just a few minutes once a month, please email or contact any of our Board members…. you are welcome. pointmeadowshoa@gmail.com
Please be considerate while driving through the complex. Take it slow.

Thank you for making Pointe Meadows a great place to live!

September 2007 Newsletter

2007-09-11T14:07:00.000-06:00

WELCOME TO THE COMMUNITY WEB SITE!

Currently, the HOA board meets approximately every 2 weeks to go over any issues and concerns of the community. The Board is a volunteer effort comprised of owners and residents of Pointe Meadows striving to improve our neighborhood. Because of the urgency of several items, we have chosen to meet every 2-3 weeks in hopes of addressing and expediting corrective actions concerning these issues. To keep everyone up to speed with what is discussed at each HOA board meeting, we have created our own community blog http://www.pointemeadows.blogspot.com/. This is an information site only; however, should you wish to communicate directly with the HOA board members regarding issues, concerns, or general comments, please send us an email at: pointmeadowshoa@gmail.com. We will discuss any and all questions or concerns at the next meeting and respond accordingly. Anyone is welcome to attend a board meeting to share comments, concerns and suggestions during the first fifteen minutes of each board meeting. Please just let us know if you want to participate and we’ll advise you of the next meeting (we don't have a date for the next meeting, but they are usually held on a Friday @ 4:00PM at one of the board members' homes).

BUDGET ITEMS:

We have been focusing on existing budget items as we close-out summer and landscaping concerns and begin considering winter issues and snow removal. We have a lot of needs for our HOA money and want to spend it wisely and prudently.

1) Snow Removal - We are anticipating hiring another snow removal company this year, however, our savings would be substantial if we had them plow only the streets and ask the residents to shovel their own driveways and walk ways. Any neighbor, who is unable to do so because of various reasons, would need help from their neighbor. Of course, this action may take a consensus from the entire community and we may ask for a vote on this proposal (more to come).

2) Shrubs and Watering - Currently, a big portion of our funds continues to be spent on landscaping issues and repairs. However, now that we have most of our lawn sprinklers working, we would like to focus on the shrubs “drip” system to insure our plants and shrubs are being watered properly. We will need every resident to let us know if their shrubs are dying and where repairs are needed…. we will need a list of locations to start repairs.

3) "How's My $75 Being Spent?" - Here is a breakdown of where each dollar of our $75.00 monthly Association fee is spent:

Utilities:
Electricity......................................$1.50
Pressurized irrigation..........................1.50
Trash removal / totes........................9.50
Landscaping:
Mowing / yard care / fertilizer
Sprinkler repair / shrubs, etc.............19.50
Master Association Fee:
Park/ Tennis Court/ Park strip.............5.00
Insurance......................................13.00
Pest Control....................................2.00
Snow removal..................................4.00
Management:
Legal fees / accounting / licenses
Office / Misc....................................9.50
Reserve..........................................7.00
General Maintenance.........................2.50

GENERAL COMMUNITY INFORMATION:

1) Builder Meeting - We continue to wage war against American Housing in an effort to resolve the wet basements and water problems several of our residents are experiencing. On Friday, August 31st, we met with Armando Alverez, from American Housing, to discuss a resolution to the basement water issue. Armando is the President of American Housing and is the decision maker we’ve needed to visit with; thanks to Advantage Management, a meeting was scheduled and subsequent solutions discussed. We will have further updates to report, via our blog, over the next couple of weeks, however, we feel we have finally made some progress and headway favorable to our residents. Of course, confirmation, action and implementation are critical to this project and we can only hope American Housing will be true to their word. Kent will personally follow-up on a weekly basis with Armando to insure corrective actions are completed (more to come).

2) Trashcans - In previous newsletters, we have discussed the problems we’ve encountered with trashcans being left out after trash day (Tuesday). Thanks to everyone for pitching-in and recognizing how much better our neighborhood looks with these unsightly garbage cans put away and out of sight. We will continue to monitor and ticket those who fail to adhere to this important HOA regulation.

3) Parking - Also, the on-street parking seems to have improved as well…thanks to everyone for working with us on this project. We now have a safer, cleaner environment in which to live.

4) Beehives - We have noticed that several beehives are being spotted under the eaves of homes throughout the neighborhood
2040 W --2163, 2167, 2173
2080 W -- 2167,2163,2178
2180 N -- 1988, 2088, 2032, 2048, 2076, 2094, 2116
There may be other hives in the area as well and would ask anyone with this potential hazard (especially to the children) to please let us know so we can get them on the list. Of course, we don’t want to offend Mother Nature and get her mad at us, so we will ask the bees to just please move on. If that doesn’t work then, as a last resort, we will hire an exterminator for help and try to dispose of the problem

5) Stained Sidewalks - Kent reported on a recent conversation he had with Lee Barnes, Lehi City Water Department, regarding our brown (stained) sidewalks and what plans Lehi City had to remedy the situation. It seems other areas, like Pointe Meadows, was experiencing staining concrete…. The HOA at Pilgrim’s Landing had recently been inquiring about this issue as well. The problem stems from Lehi City drawing water from a ‘third’ well, because of the drought situation we’ve been experiencing over the last couple of years. This well has extreme iron concentrations, which is causing our sidewalks, driveways and fences to become discolored and stained. Lehi can ‘power-wash’ these areas with an acid based solution, however, they are hesitant to move forward until the water source is fixed. The power wash would only be temporary until they can treat the ‘third’ well with various chemicals that breakdown the iron content in this water supply. They now have a product that should fix the problem, at the well site, and still be environmentally friendly. Once the initial staining has been controlled and discontinued, they will move forward with the power washing…. I would expect no action, from Lehi, on the power-wash project until late Fall.

6) West Lawn - The common area between the chain link fence and the housing units needs continual care…especially mowing on a regular basis. We have asked the landscaper to this ground mowed and watered on a more regular basis. Several weeks ago, this common area was re-seeded and fertilized in hopes of improving the looks and general health of this area. Along with more attention to the common area, we will ask the landscaper to spend more time weeding around the plants, next to the shrubs, etc.

7) Clean-Up Day - We are planning a neighborhood “clean-up” day and will ask everyone to pitch-in and help us pick-up trash, sweep, etc. The thought processes is to spread this project over several weekends and take just a block at a time. Regardless of the resident’s reaction, we as a board will pick a day in October and start with rakes, shovels, and some elbow grease to improve the looks of our neighborhood. This activity will be advertised and promoted so that anyone can join in and help.

8) Board Membership - We still need some volunteers to help us on the HOA board. We would like to invite others to join us. We don’t have any bloodletting ceremony or initiation rights in order to join, just a willingness to help our neighborhood become better than it is. If you are interested and have just a few minutes every other week, please email or contact any of our Board members…. you are welcome. pointmeadowshoa@gmail.com
As information, we recently asked Rachel Pulsipher to join us. She is willing to volunteer her time and talent to making our neighborhood a better place to live. All the board members receive your comments, questions, etc and we will respond as quickly as we can.

9) Garbage - Please do not throw your trash anywhere but directly in the garbage cans! Do not put it by the garbage cans, as it will not be picked up. Please do not put old furniture or other items near or in the garbage can. Deseret Industries would be glad to take your discarded items.

10) Pets - Please clean up after your pet! We have problems with “pet poop” found all over the grass and community. There is a $50 fine for careless pet owners not cleaning up after there pets. Please contact us if you are aware of someone not abiding by this or if you see someone not cleaning up after there pet.

11) Speed - Please be considerate while driving through the complex. Take it slow.

Thank you for making Pointe Meadows a great place to live!

Meeting minutes for Friday, July 20th

2007-07-23T08:51:00.000-06:00

Please note that the blog will no longer accept comments as a few members of the community seem to be abusing that for an anonymous form of banter. To better make a difference, and be a part in actually helping solve the problems, please send all future inquiries to our email address, pointmeadowshoa@gmail.com.

A. Sprinkler Updates
1. We have had some major swampy areas lately on the south side of the communtity near the park that borders us. Lehi City takes care of this area, but due to a broken sprinkler, it has been creating a problem that is now affecting our community. We have contacted the city and they are getting that fixed by turning off the sprkinklers for a couple of days to try & help dry out the swamp. Please let us know if you continue to see any other problems.
2. Some of the drip lines throughout the community aren't working. We're not sure if this is due to the winter damage that was found in other lines earlier in the year, or if it's something else. Our landscaper is looking into it, but in the mean time, please water your plants every couple of days, or as needed, with your hose.

B. Cement Issues
1. Some of the units have major damage where driveways are completely sinking, while other units have minimal cracking on their stairs and other areas. If you're one of these people, please contact Brandon at American Housing.
2. The sidewalks throughout the community and the entire city have started to change colors to an orange. This is due to the iron in Lehi City's water, and they'll be adding some chemicals to the water supply to prevent the discoloring. It was suggested that we "stain" the sidewalks to help cover up the color.

C. Parking
We want to thank everyone for being considerate to the rules &
regulations of the community. We've noticed a significant change on this front, and we're greatful. If you have any questions or want to make us aware of family visiting from out of town, please let us know.

D. Trash
We also want to thank everyone for being considerate of putting your trash cans out of sight. The community is already looking much better with these not being stored in the front of the homes.

E. Landscaping & Maintenance
1. Our landscaper has been able to replace a few trees & shrubs, and we're grateful. He's able to do this a little at a time, and we're happy for that. It has been brought to our attention that some of the trees and shrubs may be dying due to insects. Please let us know if there are any around you that may have this problem. We are going to have someone come spray to fix this problem.
2. As mentioned earlier, American Housing was messing with our water for a little bit, which caused some dryness throughout the community. They're back on and working, so we should see those brown spots start to come back soon. Kent, our HOA president, has spoken with them direclty, and has made it clear that they're not to mess with those. Please let us know if you see anyone tampering with them or if they don't come on.
3. We are considering a COMMUNITY CLEAN-UP DAY here in the near future. We hope to get everyone involved and help pull weeds, pick up trash, pull out dead grass around trees, etc. It's a big job to do all at once, so we're going to do different sections on different days. We'll post details soon. We hope to see you all there!

July 19th Update

2007-07-19T16:11:00.000-06:00

Here are a few updates...

1. Brandon from A.H. (American Housing) has asked us to turn down sprinkler 'run times' in an effort to combat water in the basements. In some areas, he has personally turned OFF sections of sprinklers in front as well as back yards... this is not working, and we are only killing grass, shrubs, and trees.

2. Kent, The HOA president, will instruct Brandon at A.H. that he is NOT to touch any sprinkler system in the neighborhood... PERIOD.

3. Kent will ask our landscaper to put the sprinkler times where they should be for the health of grass and plants.

4. As Kent has walked through the neighborhood, he has identified 5-6 homes with water in window-wells. A.H. needs to step up and put the sump-pumps in these window-wells, and stop blaming the landscaper. This would only cost A.H. approximately $2500 to fix the whole basement water problem.

5. Kent has worked with the landscaper (whose name is also Brandon) on making repairs to a couple of areas, and had conversations with several homeowners. We will keep the one-on-one dialogue going until we get things fixed. We're telling everyone that we have areas to work on; however, we can't eat this whole elephant, and need to work a little at a time until things are better.

6. You will notice dead trees and shrubs are being replaced... A.H. is paying for the trees/shrubs as part of the "warranty". We aren't sure if the drip system is working properly because of winter damage. We will have to eventually get these fixed as well, and will talk more at the board meeting tomorrow. However, in the meantime, please water the shrubs and trees around your homes. Use your personal garden hose and water the shrubs and trees 2-3 times every week until we can determine what drip works.

7. We are mowing the common area between the fence and homes today. The hydro-seeded area is struggling, as we all know. The landscaper has sprayed and fertilized 3 times this year, and is still not sure that this area will survive. We may have to re-seed this fall or next spring.

8. We now have a contact at Lehi City for water/grass/weed problems on public area between the fence and the railroad tracks. We have cell phones, blood types, and names of first born, so we can keep that area looking good.

Reply to "garbage's " comment

2007-07-17T20:30:00.000-06:00

We received a very long comment on the blog recently, and decided to do a new posting to address all of the issues that “garbage” brought up. I'll try and address all of the valid concerns, please let me know if I missed something.

I don't believe anyone around here is trying to play God, merely trying to enforce rules that have been around since the community was built, and some people seem to ignore. As we have stated earlier, both parking and the garbage can issue have been getting worse over time, and it's time to get control of these again. No, that doesn't mean that these are the most important issues, but they are something we can have an influence on, and a way we can help our community be safe and look better. I don't believe we're making up rules here, or enforcing them just because we don't like people parking on the street. Again, as the new HOA board, we're just enforcing those rules that have already been set. We continue to mention it because it's still an issue, and people such as "garbage" keep bringing it up. We have also addressed other important issues, such as driveways and cement, and landscaping issues. These are issues that people have tactfully brought up in the past, and wanted to know what was going on. If people are parking legally, there would be no issues. But, since these are part of the community CC&R's, they are parking illegally.

Our HOA president, Kent Wickham, is a wonderful president, and we're lucky to have him. He spends at least a couple days a week out in the community, speaking to the neighbors, changing light bulbs, etc. He doesn't live in Idaho, he lives in Orem, and is an owner of a unit in the neighborhood. He comes to the meetings and brings up half the issues, as he spends a lot of time talking to the residents while he is here. He knows quite a bit about what's going on in the community. However, if you feel he needs to know about something going on, we would urge you to contact him and let him know about it. The rest of the board noticed how poorly the community has looked, and volunteered to join the committee. We still have an open spot, and it sounds like you have many great ideas. Please let us know if you're interested in joining, and sharing your ideas in person.

We mentioned in the June newsletter/June 15th posting, "you may personally attend a board meeting as the CC&Rs allows each unit / homeowner to share comments, concerns and suggestions during the first fifteen minutes of each board meeting." We apologize that we didn't leave dates and times, but they're not always on the same date, or time, lately. We try to meet twice a month, as needed. As you can see, we do invite you to participate as much as you'd like, so please do. Our next meeting is this Friday at 4 PM at the townhome located at 2167 N 2040 W. We hope to see you there! Now, let me see if I can address each idea/topic you mentioned above:

Parking: It has been brought up before to use the common areas as parking. However, with the current budget we have, it would be impossible to create these anytime soon. This would require a noticeable increase in HOA fees to make this happen. Thank you for notifying us of the common area being over-watered. We don’t always notice this, so it’s nice for someone to bring it to our attention.

Driveways and Sidewalks: You’re not alone with your cement issues. The builder is trying to cut corners and not take responsibility for their building, and that burden is quickly shifting to the HOA to consume the cost of repairs. When the homes were being built, we were told that we had a year warranty with this. If we let Brandon at American Housing know, in writing, within the first year of residence, it would be taken care of. If you have done this, then you have a great argument with American Housing to fix this. The HOA management company isn’t responsible for this, but are definitely being supportive in holding Brandon responsible for people that did notify him. As for the rest of us: we can either pay for the damages ourselves, or use our HOA money to fix this. Again, this would require a noticeable increase in HOA fees to make this happen. The sidewalks are turning colors due to the minerals in the Lehi water from the sprinklers. This is not the same water we use in our homes. Unfortunately, there’s nothing we can do about this.

Basement flooding: Meetings have been held with American Housing regarding this issue on multiple occasions. A lawsuit was in the works at one point, but the HOA felt the money spent on this may be better put to use in the community, in addition to the fact that American Housing made promises to fix the problem. However, American Housing is not fulfilling their end of the deal, and a lawsuit may end up occuring after all. If you or someone you know has had experiences with flooding basements, please contact Jeff at Advantage Management so we know about the situation (jeff@advantagemanagement.com, or 801-235-7368). We don’t know if your basement is flooding if you don’t tell someone. His contact information is located on the blog.

Legacy Highway: It’s not called the “Legacy Highway,” but the “Mountain View Corridor.” Parker has been monitoring the local news sources and hasn’t seen anything that suggests UDOT has officially decided on anything, but the writing is on the wall; everyone but Lehi City and its residents support the plan. We even had an awesome couple in the community go around and petition this highway. UDOT’s website says, “the Utah Department of Transportation has identified 2100 North Freeway as the department's preferred roadway alternative for the proposed Mountain View Corridor in Utah County .” We have someone coming to talk to the HOA in our next meeting, so we should have more details at that time.

Garbage: We agree that this is a filthy neighborhood, thus the reason we joined the HOA so we could make a difference. This is also the reason we’re cracking down on the existing garbage can rules. We have noticed some garbage blowing out of overflowing trash cans, and are trying to prevent this. Our community does have a “no soliciting” rule, so if you see sales people, feel free to politely ask them to leave. We also have plans for a street sweeper to come through and clean up the streets. Please let us know if you have other ideas in which we can better solve this problem.

HOA finances: As you’ll read in the newsletter, we have had to put the majority of our money ($7,936.22, to be exact) lately toward fixing our sprinkler issues; that's no secret. Our HOA money also goes toward monthly expenses, such as the actual water we use to water the lawns, trash removal, lawncare, etc. Unfortunately, we’re not able to report incoming money as it’s not public access (to my knowledge) to see who is and is not paying their HOA fees. The recent annual meeting had an attendance of nine, and four of them were board members. That shows the lack of interest from the majority of the homeowners to be a part of the community. All of the financial information was provided at that meeting. Were you in attendance?
Snow removal was one idea of something to get rid of to free up some money without raising fees. Nobody should have to mow their own front lawns. If you are because there’s a problem with the current lawncare company, please let us know. We can’t solve the problem if we don’t know about it, especially which resident’s are having the problem. The previous HOA board tried several times planning community events, with little to no turnout. This hasn’t been successful in the past, but if everyone is for trying again, we can discuss that. If you’re willing to host a fundraiser or barbeque, please let us know and we’d be happy to help out. If it comes down to it, we may need to raise fees to get our community revived again, but we have to start somewhere. This issue will be discussed in the fall community meeting.

Building a community: Please see the above paragraph. The board spent over $300 in May to put on just the type of event you're referring to. Three families showed up. As a side note, we have had many calls both to Advantage Management and by to the members of the HOA board directly that they’re very happy and impressed with the improvement of the community (which includes both parking and garbage issues), and are happy to see cars off the streets. Although there are a few people who are upset with these rules and like to leave ugly and unhelpful anonymous posts, we feel that most of the residents, in general, are glad the community is finally getting the attention it needs.

By becoming a member of the HOA, it is our choice to build up the community, and that’s what we’re working toward. Again, please feel free to attend the HOA meeting on Friday with additional comments, or feel free to leave them here. Please let us know if you have any other questions or concerns, our email address is pointmeadowshoa@gmail.com.

July 3rd HOA Meeting Minutes

2007-07-07T20:42:00.000-06:00

Pointe Meadows HOA
Board Meeting
July 2, 2007

The following are the minutes/notes from our last HOA board meeting:

- We had some residents express interest in some type of recycling program that would incorporate the entire neighborhood/association. Several options were discussed with the net effect of [a] increasing our trash costs from approximately $8.00 per month to $12.74 per month and [b] adding another trash can for our residents to manage.
This motion was tabled for now in order to focus our efforts and money on more pressing issues. As a few neighbors are still leaving their existing garbage cans out and in site, we felt it important to tackle this problem first.
- We are seeing more input through our HOA blog and are appreciative of the residents interest and comments…. they are welcome. However, we have a couple messages signed “anonymous” with criticism only, with no effort to offer solutions, help and/or suggestions. We all felt this was cowardly, unrealistic and not helpful. We need support and a helping-hand and want to encourage anyone in the neighborhood to attend our meetings and help with labor, suggestions, and support where they can.
The blog will be edited so that future comments will require a signature and/or name of participant so we can reply with constructive dialogue and change.
- Three issues dominated our Board meeting:

[1] Parking: we will include in the monthly newsletter and minutes a copy of the Pointe Meadow’s Homeowners CC&R’s that detail the parking expectations and requirements for our neighborhood. We want to emphasize two [2] points:
[a] The safety of our children as they play outside--- our concern is their safety and we don’t want cars parked illegally for fear of a serious accident.
[b] Access to our homes by emergency and fire department vehicles. Any 9-1-1 calls will generate a fire truck, ambulance and police vehicles in response to that emergency…. they need to have access to our homes.

Parking regulations/requirements will be enforced and a copy of these requirements will be re-distributed to each home and homeowner.

[2] Trash cans: we want to emphasize the importance of keeping the trash cans out-of-sight within 24 hours of trash pick-up [Tuesday’s]. Please keep the containers in your garage or backyards as they are unsightly and diminish the ecstatic beauty of our neighborhood. We have several residents trying to sell and/or rent their homes and we all need to be considerate of their interests and efforts. Our trash can/garbage can regulation will be enforced.

[3] Landscape: We all want green grass and beautiful yards and have strived diligently to repair past mistakes…our effort here is on-going. Sprinklers have been tested and repaired at a cost of $7900.00. We still have a ways to go with:
[a] The HOA just gained control of the common area next to the RR tracks as of 6/1/07 and we are now responsible for this area. We are working on adjusting the sprinkler timing, [run time, day-of-week, hour-of-the-day, etc], weed control, and the need to perhaps re-seed large sections of this common area.
[b] Several shrubs/plants/trees are dead and or dying and will need to be replaced. We want to encourage the homeowners to contact us with their needs so we can work towards replacing these items.
[c] Our long-term plan is to replace the bark covering around the plants with decorative rock. The wind seems to wreak a lot of havoc on bark and it tends to blow away. Of course, money is the key word here and may take next year before we are able to tackle this issue.
- It was suggested that we hire a street sweeper to clean the streets and gutters to improve the looks of our neighborhood. Of course, any help here would be appreciated by the residents by picking up and cleaning areas around their homes.
- We are in need of another board member and will ask for volunteers. We need help, support and team effort as we work and speak as a unified voice of Pointe Meadow’s HOA. In general, the residents and homeowners are in support of our efforts and would ask anyone with suggestions and or offers of assistance, to please contact anyone of the board members:

pointmeadowshoa@gmail.com

Kent Wickham (President): 208-863-9102
Parker Morrill (Vice President): 801-510-6977
Nicole Gratzinger (Secretary): 801-367-9294
Toni Nelson (Treasurer): 801-362-4970

Pointe Meadows HOA Newsletter

2007-06-15T14:51:00.000-06:00

Pointe Meadows HOA Newsletter
June 2007

Committee Members
Kent Wickham, Parker Morrill, Nicole Gratzinger, Toni Nelson

Community Management Company
Advantage Management
Contact: Jeff Sucher
235-RENT (7368), or pointmeadowshoa@gmail.com

NEW COMMUNITY WEB SITE

Currently, the HOA board meets every 2 weeks to go over any issues and concerns of the community. To keep everyone up to speed with what is discussed at each HOA board meeting, we have created our own community blog. The blog address is www.pointemeadows.blogspot.com. Under each posting, there is a link to click to leave a comment. When a comment or concern is posted, [a] the board will take note of it and discuss any questions or actions at the next meeting; [b] if you would like a personal response to your comment, please leave your contact information; [c] you may email the members of the board at the address listed above; [d] or you may personally attend a board meeting as the CC&Rs allows each unit / homeowner to share comments, concerns and suggestions during the first fifteen minutes of each board meeting.

SPRINKLER UPDATE

As the spring approached and the sprinkler system was turned on for the season, we found many broken water lines due to faulty shut down and improper installation. We thank you for your patience with the landscapers as they have worked very hard to get the system up and functional. We will be seeking compensation from the previous landscapers to help pay the more than $7500 bill that came from all of the necessary repairs. The sprinkler system should be fully functional now and we hope not to have any further problems. Please do not tamper with the sprinkler clocks because they have been set by the landscaping company to function properly. If you have any issues with the sprinklers, please contact Advantage Management.

PARKING ISSUES

As stated in the CC&Rs & Community Regulations we all received upon moving into the community, long-term parking is prohibited on any of the roads. We understand that guests come and go which is fine. But homeowners and their guests are not allowed to park their cars on the street for more than a few hours for the following reasons:

1. It is imperative that we provide easy access to our neighborhood for emergency vehicles, especially multiple units (ambulance, police, etc) as well as the larger fire trucks. These emergency vehicles need to be able to reach all areas of our community and provide immediate and emergency service unencumbered by parked cars and obstruction on our streets. As such, all regulations must be administered fairly and equally to all vehicles throughout the community.
2. Parking on the streets makes it hard to see small children. We have had a few close calls with children running out from behind a parked car and almost being hit by moving vehicles.
3. Vehicles parked on 2180 obstruct the view of cars pulling out from the side roads (2040 West & 2080 West), making it difficult to see oncoming traffic.

Each homeowner has 4 spaces (2 inside the garage, 2 in the driveway) to facilitate parking needs. Please maximize these spaces rather then parking on the street. If your vehicle is in violation of this rule, you will receive one written warning. Repeated violations may result in your vehicle being towed without warning by Black Diamond Towing (375-3573). The tow fee is $100. The owner of the car will pay these fees.

YARD MAINTENANCE

You will be happy to know we have hired a new crew to take care of our yard maintenance. Due to the cost of sprinkler damage and lawsuits, we will not be able to lay down new bark and replace any dead shrubs or trees this summer. Because of this, we encourage everyone to care for their own areas. Eventually, our finances will catch-up with our neighborhood needs; in the meantime, we will continue to work through our action items as quickly as our income allows. Our new landscaper has offered to give everyone a discount if they would like to purchase new shrubs or trees. If everyone pitched in, we could get our community looking good again!

TRASH CAN STORAGE

According to the CC&R’s & Community Regulations, all trash cans must be stored inside your garage at all times except on trash pick up day. Trash cans must be returned to their storage place within 24 hours after the trash is picked up. Trash is being blown throughout the community causing a huge mess. Due to this problem, we will be monitoring this closely. Any garbage cans left outside during the week will receive one written warning. Repeated violations will result in a $50 fine. This regulation was created to help maintain the beauty & integrity of the Pointe Meadows Community. We sincerely wish to see all homeowners comply with this regulation.

GENERAL COMMUNITY INFORMATION

*Please be considerate while driving through the complex. Take it slow.

*Please do not throw your trash anywhere but directly in the garbage cans! Do not put it by the garbage cans, as it will not be picked up. Please do not put old furniture or other items near or in the garbage can. D.I. would be glad to take your old junk.

*Please clean up after your pet! We have problems with “pet poop” found all over the grass and community. There is a $50 fine for careless pet owners not cleaning up after your pet. Please contact us if you are aware of someone not abiding by this or if you see someone not cleaning up after their pet.

Thank you for making Pointe Meadows a great place to live!

Welcome and First Update

2007-05-23T19:21:00.000-06:00

Greetings! This is the first update you'll receive from your HOA board. The HOA board has recently been reorganized, so please feel free to come speak with any of the following individuals if you have any questions or concerns regarding our community:

Kent Wickham-President
Parker Morrill-Vice President
Nicole Gratzinger-Secretary
Toni Nelson-Treasurer

Also, please feel free to leave a comment at the bottom of any post, and we'll address it at the next meeting.

Fees, Lawn Care, and Landscaping Maintenance

In order to keep our monthly HOA fees where they're at, we have come to the realization that we won't be able to fix everything that needs it all at once. Our main focuses for the time being are the sprinklers and lawn care. We're still working out all the details with landscaping, but haven't reached any conclusions with the company that planted our trees and bushes yet. As far as bark goes, we have discussed replacing that with rock next year, as bark will need to be replaced every year with the winds we receive. For the time being, please feel free to replace your own bark, if desired.

Driveways and Cement

We haven't come to a final conclusion on this area as well. Our community was promised that things like this would be taken care of with the ground still settling, and they haven't followed through. We're still working with these individuals to correct the situation.

Parking Issues

Parking regulations are meant to help ensure the efficient and safe movement of traffic in the community while balancing the competing demands for limited parking spaces between owners, renters, and visitors to our community.

It is also imperative that we provide easy access to our neighborhood for emergency vehicles, especially multiple units [ambulance, police, etc] as well as the larger fire trucks. These emergency vehicles need to be able to reach all areas of our community and provide immediate and emergency service unencumbered by parked cars and obstructions on our streets. As such, all regulations must be administered fairly and equally to all vehicles throughout the community.

The "Pointe Meadows Town Homes Rules and Regulations" document directly quotes the following:
"1.1 Parking Assignments
Owners or their designee's may park only in the driveway or garage purchased with the owner's unit. The Board has the right to remove from the premises any vehicle(s) which may be considered a hazard or a nuisance.

1.2 Visitor and Guest Parking
Pointe Meadows has no designated visitor or guest parking. Guests must park in their host's driveway or on the street. Guests parked in violation of these rules will be towed immediatly at the vehicle owner's expense."

Please email Toni Nelson at toni.nelson@yahoo.com for the entire document.