CHAPMAN FARM

Homeowners’ Association

Crofton, Maryland

 

THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE CHAPMAN FARM HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION MET AT THE CHAPMAN FARM CLUBHOUSE ON SEPTEMBER 27, 2005.

 

CALL TO ORDER:

The meeting was called to order at 7:00pm with the following members present:

  • Tim Johnson                     President
  • Rick Gloeckler                  Secretary
  • Mark Collins                     Treasurer
  • Mike Consalvi                   Board Member at Large
  • Scott Davis                       Managing Agent- ProCom

 

APPROVAL OF MINUTES

The minutes from the meeting held on August 30, 2005 were approved as written.  Mike Consalvi moved to approve the minutes from the previous meeting as written and Rick Gloeckler seconded the motion.  The motion carried.

FINE HEARINGS

  • Scott Davis, Managing Agent for ProCom, inspected eight homes that were scheduled for a fine hearing at this evening’s meeting.  Six of the homes that were inspected corrected their violations and are compliant with the Architectural Covenants.  The hearings will be held in a closed session after the open meeting. 
  • Resident asked if a list of contractors could be provided with the notification letters.  The board said that they could not recommend or endorse any contractors, however, the question could be put under discussion on the community website and residents could share information with each other.  

HOMEOWNER COMMENTS

  • Issue was raised to post the minutes from past meetings to the website sooner and whether they could be emailed directly to the residents who provided an email address.  The board said that they would consider the request. 
  • Resident asked about replacement of trees.  Instead of replacing the trees one by one, which would be very costly, the board has tasked the grounds committee to walk the community and make a recommendation to the board of the areas that need tree replacement.  The best time to replace the trees is in the spring time and a multiple bid would be less costly than replacing one tree at a time. 
  • Resident asked about trimming trees that hang over onto their property from their neighbor’s property.  The County has said that if a tree or bush hangs over onto an individual’s private property, then it is okay for him to trim it back. The board recommends that neighbors discuss the issue before trimming anything back.
  • Resident asked about the trees that are in the county right of way and who is responsible for them.  They are the County’s responsibility, but unfortunately, the tree trimming budget was cut last year, so the board said that they are relying on homeowners to keep them trimmed back.  
  • Resident asked if the County trees could be removed. The board asked Scott to call the County to find out if the trees could be removed. 
  • Resident asked about status of the sidewalk repair.  Tim said that in order for the County to consider a section of the sidewalk for replacement, it needs to be raised greater than 3 inches.  Tim submitted a list of the ramping that included the areas that had a rise greater than 3 inches, to the County, and they have done some of the ramping, but Tim will need to contact them again to remind them about the other areas of concern.  

 

 

FINE HEARINGS (Cont.)

  • Resident recommended that there be a more graduated level of notification in regard to violations. Resident felt that the board has approached the minor infractions in the same manner as the residents with greater and more visible infractions. Resident said that it borders on harassment and that it was not neighborly.  Scott (ProCom) said that the letters are standard business letters and that they are not intended to offend, but to notify residents of a specific violation and what needs to be done in order to correct it.  The board said that they would review the standard letters that are sent out.   

 

PRESIDENT’S REPORT

Tim Johnson- President

·         Currently, there are 3 proposals to repair/replace the fences that surround the storm water management ponds.  The proposals are from Long Fence, Fence Connection, and Mid-Atlantic.   The board asked the companies to provide proposals in a phased approach; phase 1 would be the pond in the front of the community along Riedel Rd., phase 2 would be the sections going back, and phase 3 would be the back edge of the pond.  All of the proposals are in the range of $70,000 to $75,000. 

·         A reserve study was done by Miller Dodson Associates.  The study is done to determine whether enough money is being set aside to fund long term repair/replacement costs such as the brick walls, the play grounds, tennis courts fences, and the club house and it gives a phased approach and approximate longevity of the items.  Mark was tasked with reviewing the study and making sure that there are enough funds to replace or repair the fences. 

·         Resident suggested that shrubs be planted in front of the fences all along the fence line, instead of repairing or replacing the fence.  The fences were deemed to be structurally sound over all, but they need to be painted and there are sections that have rotted wood that needs to be replaced. 

·         There are bids out to cut two large trees in the common area across from the end of the clubhouse driveway.  The tops of the trees need to be cut off because they are dead and could easily blow off during a storm.

 

TREASURER’S REPORT

The General Trial Balance for the Association was reviewed and it is in accordance with the Budget for the fiscal year.

  • Cash on hand in checking for the month (as of August 31, 2005) is $54,024.77.
  • The cash on hand in savings is $270,984.54
  • The total income for the month is $1,526.17
  • The total expenses for the month were $9,759.43
  • Leaving a total loss for the month of ($8,233.26).
  • The total loss for the year to date is ($19,094.08).
  • The reserve study was completed.  The study shows that the community is putting aside the correct amount of money to cover long term expenses.  The board needs to review the study in order to determine whether the whole fence could be replaced at once or whether it would need to be done in a phased approach.  
  • Resident asked what percentage of the reserves is funded versus what is expected to be paid out.  The study stated that the value of all components is $577,000 (lifetime replacement) and currently the amount that is in reserves is $316,000.  Rick said that currently, $26,460 is being put into the reserves and there are two methods to determine the minimum; replacement reserve is $23,833 for the year and the minimum by the component method is $9,000. 

GROUNDS COMMITTEE

  • Tim asked a member of the committee if they have had the chance to look at the common areas for trees that need to cut down because they are in danger of coming down onto homeowner property. They have not had the chance to identify ones that are in danger of falling, but there are a few that are in need of replacement because they have died.  Tim said that they could be

 

GROUNDS COMMITTEE (Cont.)

 

  • combined into one proposal for removal and then another proposal could be done in February or March for replacement of the trees. 

 

  • Resident said that she invited Senator Janet Greenip to this evening’s meeting, but she was delayed and would not be able to come, but that she would be available to come to future meetings. 

ACC  

  • 4 ACC requests were submitted to the board for their review.  The requests will be reviewed in the Executive Session.

 

 

TRAFFIC COMMITTEE

Tim Johnson gave the report.

·         A traffic forum was held on September 20th, 2005 at 7:30pm, to evaluate the traffic circle on whether to make it permanent or have it removed.   The options that were presented are as follows;

1)       Remove the temporary traffic circle

2)       Remove the temporary traffic circle and replace with a speed hump. (Already qualified for at 100% Community cost would be $2,000.)

3)       Replace temporary traffic circle with a permanent cement circle with stamped concreted center. (No cost for the County to install the Circle- County is responsible for maintaining the circle.)

4)       Replace temporary traffic circle with a permanent mulched circle with mulched center.  (No cost for the Count to install the Circle- Community is responsible for costs to upkeep the mulched area.)

·         In a vote of 6 to 2, Option 2 was the one that was chosen.  Letters went out to every homeowner notifying them of the forum and notice of the meeting was posted to the community website.  Tim Johnson, Traffic Committee chair, recommended Opt. 2 to the board of directors for their consideration. 

·         The committee would also like to have the County conduct another study in the area of Maynard and Chapman Rd. because traffic has increased.  Other communities have no other exit from their community, other than using Maynard and Chapman Road.

·         A pedestrian study needs to be done in order to determine the need for additional cross walks.  

 

·         A full report in the form of a power point presentation was submitted, in writing, by Tim Johnson. (See attachment “A”)

 

·         If residents see anyone passing a school bus or speeding they are encouraged to take the tag number and contact ProCom.

 

·         Resident asked if a bicycle lane could be put in. It would give the perception that the road is narrower than it really is which might slow traffic down.    Tim will e-mail Nestor Flores and ask him about a bicycle lane. 

 

·         The board asked residents to notify ProCom and the board when accidents occur with the date and time of the incident so that traffic reports can be obtained for Nestor Flores- County Engineering Dept.  Nestor’s phone number is 410- 222-7331.

 

 

 

 

POOL COMMITTEE

·         Wendy said that the committee is just at the beginning stages of researching the feasibility of a community swimming pool.  She contacted various pool companies and they told her that what was needed was an architect to come and look at the land and survey what is currently there to determine if a pool could be built.  Wendy called a couple of architects and a civil engineer and all three parties have said that we would primarily need to hire an engineer.  The civil engineer said that they would have to obtain a copy of the final site survey, a copy of the record Platte and then engineering plans. The architect said that once the above documents were obtained then he would meet with Wendy for one hour at no charge and tell her if they have everything that would be needed to go forward.  He said then he could give an estimate as to the cost to design a pool.  Wendy said that one pool company quoted a price for an L shaped pool with competition lanes, a beach entry for children, at 5,000 square feet, at a cost of about $175,000 to $180,000 for just the pool.   That does not include the pool house, decking, fencing, landscaping, or parking lots. Wendy’s next step will be to obtain the specified documents, contact pool companies and inquire what it would cost to build, maintain, and provide lifeguards for a community pool.    

SOCIAL COMMITTEE

  • There will be a Halloween party on the 30th of October.  There will also be a parade on the same weekend.  Linda reserved the clubhouse from October 28th thru October 30th, 2005 for the events.  There will be flyers and a posting on the community website with dates and times of events.

 

MANAGEMENT REPORT

Scott Davis of ProCom gave the management report.

1.       Transfer of Ownership to date

A.                   Heppding to Steve & Judith Kennedy

                       2802Chapman Court

                       07/26/05

                       $600,000

2.      Proposals/Projects  

a.       ProCom has included three proposals for the removal and replacement of the fencing in the front of the community.  (ACTION)

b.       ProCom has included three RFP’s for tree trimming along Chapman Road, across from the tennis courts.

       3.      Correspondence

a.        ProCom has provided copies of all incoming and outgoing homeowner correspondence that has received and sent between the delivery date of August’s Board Package and September 23, 2005.

b.        Any violation letters sent to homeowners that have correction deadlines (i.e. 30 days, 48 hours) have been scheduled for re-inspection on those specific dates. 

c.        There was no correspondence this period requiring action by the Board.

 

4.       General Matters/ Miscellaneous

          A.     ProCom has included the updated Reserve Study from Miller Dodson and Associates.

          B.     ProCom has included Sgt. Peterson’s August report.

          C.     ProCom has included the August report from CS Lawn.

          D.     Brian will be securing the posts on the porch of the clubhouse.

          E.     All of the furniture has arrived from Value City, and looks great in the newly renovated

                   Clubhouse.

F.         Regarding the Chapman Farm website, Jeff is posting the recently completed, updated  reserve study, removing a few old items  such as the club house vandalism and the tot-lot pictures, and adding recent approved minutes, and has responded to myself via E-Mail that there is no way to authenticate users on the message board. 

G.        At the request of Linda Godstrey, Social Committee chair, I have reserved the

        clubhouse on October 28,29,&30 for community events/planning.

     General Matters/ Miscellaneous (Cont.)

H.         Certified Roofing is inspecting the roof at the clubhouse, specifically the vents on the

                             peaks, and will repair/replace any sections they deem necessary. 

                     I       Buck is removing /painting over the graffiti on the tennis court surface.

                     J      A new “No Trespassing “sign has been ordered to replace the existing vandalized

                             sign along the path leading from Chapman Farm Road to the tennis courts.  Upon

                             receipt, it will be installed.    

K.       Two lights at the tot-lot were out, and BGE determined that there was a problem with

The underground cable.  They should be working properly again now.

                     L.     A picnic table in the common area behind the clubhouse has been burned beyond                                                                                                                                                     

Repair.  Per Board decision, ProCom will get prices to the replace this picnic table.(ACTION).         

5.      Executive Session- (See Executive Session)

 

 Presented by:  Scott M. Davis, CMCA, Managing Agent, Chapman Farm HOA

 

UNFINISHED BUSINESS

·         The play ground equipment has been put in and the area around the equipment has been mulched, but the area around the slide was over poured with concrete. Tim contacted the company that installed the equipment and he is going to provide them with some digital pictures of the area.  The area needs to have 8 to 12 inches of mulch and in order to put that much mulch around it, a border of railroad ties may need to be installed to box in and hold the mulch. The board will discuss this issue in Executive Session.  

 

NEW BUSINESS

·         There is a light that is out on Price Road, before Fenway Court and the corner of the pond.  BGE needs to be contacted about replacing the light. 

·         Resident asked about the mosquitoes and whether they would spray.   Tim explained that Chapman Farm is part of the State program and the program provides regular spraying, testing for female mosquitoes, and dunks for the ponds.  

·         Resident asked about how to dispose of large yard waste.  The board advised that it be taken to the County land fill.

·         Resident commented that there is an on going problem with dog waste. 

·         Resident complained that Verizon and Comcast are digging everywhere.  Tim said that there is a community advisor on Janet Owens staff and her name is Bea Poulin.  She is handling all of the complaints in one large report and residents can call the County if they have something to report. 

·         Discussed aerating the ponds and Tim gave a brief history.  The aeration devices need a 4 ft depth in order to work properly and the ponds are too shallow.  The board looked into shallow aeration devices, but the companies said that they wouldn’t work because they would suck up mud from the bottom of the pond.  Tim is investigating bubblers and he has ordered catalogs to be sent to Scott at ProCom.  Tim proposed that the board remove the fences from the 2005 budget and replace it with the aeration of the ponds (The cost to do the ponds would be roughly $40,000).  He said that if the reserve study says that both items could be done within the budget, then he recommended that both of them be done. 

 

Being no further business to come before the board, the meeting was adjourned and the board immediately went into the Executive Session.  The Executive Session ended and the open meeting was re-called open, and then all adjourned at 9:35pm. 

 

Submitted by: Hayley N. Hancock                     Approved by: ___________________ 

                       Recording Secretary