Lake Linganore
Association, Inc.
June 20, 2005
The meeting was called to order at 7:02 p.m. at the LLA Coldstream Drive office.
Board members present were: Jim Cates, Jay Decker, Jim DiMeglio, Brandon Frazier, Lisa Rogers.
Absent board members: Alan Dinkelacker, Grant Sheehan.
Staff in attendance: GM Edwards, AGM Seligson, CRM Gurley.
The minutes of the May 23, 2005 board of director meeting were approved with the following corrections:
Page 3 of 7— last line, second word “that” should be changed to “than”.
Page 4 of 7— first full paragraph, fourth sentence should read: Director Rogers expressed concern that the reforestation plan was being jeopardized; that by planting smaller caliper trees the developer was creating a desire among the new homeowners to not plant trees on their lots.
Director DiMeglio, a representative of Land Stewards, reported that an agreement with the county regarding the unplatting of lots in the Isles of Balmoral was to be presented to the Frederick Board of County Commissioners that week. He said that the swales on Eaglehead Drive were done. He said that clearing was being done in Aspen for the roads. Land Stewards was beginning meetings with a special committee regarding the developer’s proposal for building homes in the Indian Cave area. Mr. DiMeglio said that a plan presented to the county planning commission regarding nine lots in Aspen needed to be revised. He also noted that a few more details were needed on Aspen lots 3-14 before they could move forward. He noted that the old Eaglehead Barn was in the process of being demolished. He said that the village of Woodridge had established an ad hoc committee to discuss the weir wall project. Mr. DiMeglio said that the permitting process for the Eaglehead Drive Bridge was ongoing. Mr. DiMeglio was asked whether the three drainage pipes were still to be placed under Eaglehead Drive swales. He said yes and noted that the ditches would be deepened at the outlets, as well as his estimation that the culverts did not look as though they would work.
He said that the visitor center signs were being taken down from surrounding roads. In addition he said that the metal stakes along the road swales in certain sections of the new development would also be removed. He was asked whether other property near the old Eaglehead Barn site was still accessible to which he noted that most of the property at the old front entrance to the development now belonged to the Board of Education but that there were still ways for residents to access the remainder of the property for hiking, etc.
•Security— DFC Davies said that the month of May was fairly quiet with no serious concerns. The deputy noted that overtime patrols would soon be increased. He was asked if there had been an increase in the number of complaint calls about ATVs, to which the deputy said not really.
•Environmental Control Committee— AGM Seligson said that there had been a dramatic increase in the number of ECC cases, noting 20- 25 applications submitted a week. He said that applications for new homes for spot lot builders were coming in at a rate of one to three a month. Mr. Seligson noted that the revision of the ECC Guidelines had been started and that the attorney had recently sent back a review of the revised guidelines. He said a copy of the revised guidelines would be ready for the board’s review by the July 18 meeting. Mr. Seligson also noted that suspension of privileges regarding covenant compliance was a strategy that worked and brought 15 long-time offenders into compliance. He also noted that towing enforcement had begun and that staff would be keeping a tight watch on trespassing matters by having the tow trucks patrol the dam area at least three times a day. A resident asked about whether any enforcement was being done regarding dogs at large in the area of the beaches and other amenities. Mr. Seligson said that staff was doing enforcement and that he was working on creating a program that would allow the LLA to tap into the county’s Animal Control agency.
•Finance Committee— LLA treasurer Brandon Frazier told the board that road reserves funded in advance would show in next month’s financial report. He said the reserve deposit in April was high and reflects the left over funds from last year’s budget. He noted on page six of the report a variance of $45,000 for the office renovation project, which he said was the final payment. Mr. Frazier said that the LLA has large deposits on hand with its bank and that the auditor suggested buying Treasury notes and to balance its liquidity with insurance protection. He said that he wanted to begin the budget process at the next finance committee meeting.
MOTION: Director Frazier made a motion for the board to implement the following 10-point policy for a 30-day trial period, making changes as needed and then make it official policy. Director Rogers seconded the motion for discussion.
Director Frazier read the following policy into the record, as recommended by the finance committee:
1. No work shall be done for or material provided to the Lake Linganore Association (LLA) unless authorized by a written Purchase Order (PO) that is signed according to the terms outlined herein; all LLA vendors and suppliers shall be notified of this policy.
2. Any PO exceeding five thousand dollars in total value must be authorized (by signature) prior to release by the board president or treasurer.
3. Any PO exceeding fifth=thousand dollars must be authorized (by signature) prior to release by two (2) board members, one of which must be either the president or treasurer.
4. The LLA board shall approve or reject by public vote all major contracts exceeding ten thousand dollars per fiscal year in actual or projected costs in a public meeting.
5. Notwithstanding paragraphs 2 and 3, work may be authorized without board approval by LLA management on major contracts which have been approved by the board, including but not limited to grounds, pools and trash contracts, provided such work is ordered in writing by way of an LLA PO and is not projected to exceed the contract amount approved by the board;
6. General ledge (GL) sub-accounts shall be created and include all costs incurred for projects over five-thousand dollars in total projected costs;
7. The LLA shall not enter into “time and materials” contracts except under extraordinary circumstances and only if approved by majority vote by the board.
8. LLA staff shall maintain a project-tracking sheet consisting of projects and amounts approved by the board, and PO’s issue and expected on a given project.
9. No payments shall be made on projects in excess of twenty-five thousand (actual or projected) dollars unless approved in advance by the board president or treasurer.
10. LLA management shall move toward and prepare for job/project-cost accounting, to be officially implemented at an opportune time, and immediately provide and instruct staff to complete weekly time summaries and/or timesheets organized according to GL accounts and begin tracking same.
Mr. Frazier noted that the proposed policy was a response to cost overruns experienced on the office renovation project. The question was asked as to why the board had not before done such a policy as it related to $50 thousand dollar contracts. Mr. Frazier said it had not been done to the extent proposed in the new policy. He said this new policy would help the LLA see the cost of having staff work on projects. Mr. Frazier explained that in relation to the budget, as each project is approved to proceed a separate account would be created within the budget. He said the first test would be the Summerfield playground.
VOTE: five directors voted in favor of the motion; none of the directors voted against the motion.
The question was asked as whether any reserve monies had been set aside for the Farm Pond project. Mr. Frazier said no and that the choice of options was still on the table.
The question was asked as to the status of the amount of money in the Woodridge amenities fund. It was noted that as of April 30, 2005 the amount of money in that account was $117,295. Mr. Frazier said this money was being tracked as an amenity account and not a Woodridge account. Katherine Hembree requested that the board create a separate account for the Woodridge amenities. Director Frazier said that one-half of account was to be allocated to the village and that the other half was to be allocated for the community. After some discussion, it was decided to put this matter on the July 18 meeting agenda.
•Trailblazers Committee— The committee reported that work was done on the trail in vicinity of the Meadows mailbox area. Co-chairperson Katrinka Westendorf noted that the Balmoral Village Committee and residents helped to work on the Balmoral lake trail area. She noted that the July 9 work party would be in Pinehurst. With regard to the Aspen trail near the silt fence, director Frazier asked whether that section of the trail should be closed until the erosion problem is corrected. The committee consensus was that construction had caused some of the erosion problems and that installation of stones would be helpful.
MOTION: Director Frazier made a motion to restrict golf carts along the trail between the Brosius Dam and the North Shore (Eaglehead Perch) canoe racks until further notice. Director Rogers seconded the motion. VOTE: five of the directors voted in favor of the motion; none of the directors voted against the motion.
The committee reported that the banks of Lake Marion still needed to be stabilized. It was also noted that the posts to mark the trails would be cut and painted very soon for installation.
•Social Committee— CRM Gurley noted that plans for the June 11 event went well and that it was well attended, and that everyone in attendance at the 70s Pool Party had a good time. She noted that the Endless Summer Hop was set for August 27, the Autumn Celebration was set for Oct. 29 and that volunteers for the planning and production committees were always welcomed.
•Archives Committee — Committee member Cathy Reed said the committee intends to finish some copying of files and that talks with the library still need to take place about turning over documents.
• Aspen Village— Village committee chairperson Kathy Brown said that two years ago the board approved installing lights at the Aspen entrance sign. She said that work had never been done on this project and wanted the board to refresh its memory on the project and let her know what the goal will be so that the committee can plan accordingly.
•Nightingale Village— the new village chairperson Michael Fox told the board that he had not yet had an official meeting but that he had been talking to residents. He said the top three concerns of the residents were as follows:
#1- Boat racks- some residents were working on a plan that would be presented to the board in the near future.
#2- Playground- the village was interested in being next on the schedule for applying for a county grant to help build a playground for Nightingale.
#3- Dust from Roads- he said that residents had raised approximately $1600 to deal with this problem and were interested in raising additional funds. He asked how much money it would cost to put down a surface on the village entrance road to help eliminate this problem and wanted to know if doing so would impact the CDA, to which the answer was yes. The board encouraged staff, residents and the LLCS to continue to work together on the issue.
•Westwinds Village— Village committee chairperson Carol Thames told the board that some of the road signage in the village had been turned upside down. She said that the Pond Fountain Court playground area was the location of a lot of after hours activity and asked the board to install a motion light inside the gazebo in the playground as a means to discouraging late night activity. She also noted that Westwinds HOA board meetings would now only be held on a quarterly basis now.
•Woodridge Village— Village committee co-chairperson John Cunha submitted the playground grant to the board. He said that on June 15 the board approved granting all funds from the LLA for the playground if the grant was not successful.
Parcel C: Woodridge Tree Subcommittee member Trish Flora said that confusion about the tree replanting program and the related memorandum of understanding (MoU) needed clarification. Director DiMeglio agreed to work with the new homeowners to help them understand. After discussing some of the points that are confusing residents and new owners in the village, it was agreed that the tree subcommittee and Mr. DiMeglio would set a meeting to work things out and set up a plan to clarify the subject. Aspen Village Committee chairperson Kathy Brown, who worked on the Aspen Tree Replacement MoU, agreed to attend the meeting.
Lake Marion Weir Wall: Mr. Cunha asked the board to recognize the establishment of another subcommittee to work with the developer on a new plan for the weir wall. After some discussion related to cleaning up the area to improve its appearance, the board recognized the new subcommittee.
Trails— Mr. Cunha said that the trails should be marked. He wanted to know if Land Stewards is responsible for grading of the trails. He said he checked meeting minutes in which it was stated that 600 ft. of linear trails could be established now, especially because the funds exist. It was noted that the grading was left in a condition that the LLA could finish the trail. He said that 10 trail signs were needed. Mr. Cunha said the committee had gotten a bid for the trail work, which he quoted as being $9,000. He said he would leave a copy of the bid for staff. He also said that he was expecting one more bid and would bring it to the LLA when he received it.
Parcel C Park—Discussion as to whether the cost of the engineering work was to come out of the Woodridge amenities fund as a part of the playground grant project brought disagreement about how this was to be handled. It was decided to table this discussion at this time.
Village Committee Election— Mr. Cunha asked what he needed to do to get a village election process going. CRM Gurley explained that she works with all village committees on this aspect of the village committee responsibilities and would help Woodridge do the same.
Covenant Booklet Edit Changes— The board tabled this item from the previous meeting. CRM Gurley reminded the board that the edited booklet—as reviewed, researched and approved by LLA attorney Shelah Lynn— was edited to clarify that the document was a blend of the three original recorded documents and to correct some typographical errors. MOTION: Director Rogers made a motion to approve the text version as drafted by counsel. Director Frazier seconded the motion. VOTE: five of the directors voted to approve the motion; none of the directors voted against the motion.
Status of N. Steamboat Way Playground Repair— GM Edwards reported that the removal of the old equipment would begin the following Friday and that installation of the new equipment would begin on June 22. He said the office was tracking the removal fees because this would be the first project to proceed under the new project cost tracking policy. Director Rogers asked about mulch for the North Shore playground area. The GM said that the village had asked for raking/refreshing and removal of dead trees.
Announcement Regarding Tiger Muskie Stock— GM Edwards said that Friends of the Lake Committee member Mike Mumma had been working with staff on the project. He said the recent stocking of tiger muskies in Lake Linganore was left over stock from a lake in Pennsylvania. He noted that the fish had been put into the lake 10 days previously and that approximately one percent of the approximately 19,000 fingerlings would survive. GM Edwards explained that the LLA boat was being retrofitted for the electro-fishing aspect of the project. He said that in the fall the lake would be stocked with large-mouth bass. Mr. Edwards said that it was possible to pay a fee to the Dept. of Natural Resources that would give Eaglehead lakes consideration in the state’s stocking programs. It was noted that Piney Run officials were to come to Eaglehead to do a review of the lake and look at related issues and provide some direction to the LLA about the future management of the lake.
Report on Indian Cave Meeting— Balmoral resident John Allemang, a member of the ad hoc committee talking to Land Stewards regarding its development plans for the cave park area, reported on the June 14 meeting between the two parties. Below is the information he read into the record:
To prepare for the June 14 meeting, we held a residents’ meeting on July 12, 2005. We had an over-capacity turn-out of nearly 80 residents- including some from other villages nearby like Pinehurst but also some from village not so nearby such as North Shore and Coldstream, and even some from relatively far away villages such as Summerfield, Audubon, and Woodridge. The common expression was that these residents all used the Indian Cave area on a regular basis and were very concerned about plans to develop it. The surprising thing is that Indian Cave is not just a Balmoral-Meadows issue, as we had thought; it is truly a community issue.
At the June 14 meeting, Land Stewards repeated its position that “no development” was not on the table. Similarly, the Indian Cave Committee responded that the development plan Land Stewards had submitted to the county was “not on the table” for us. We hope to be able to work together to come to a mutually agreeable point somewhere between these two extremes.
There were no major concession by either side at this meeting but we didn’t expect that. This will be a long process. Land Stewards and Elm Street did agree to redraw the development plan to preserve more green space and keep the trail systems accessible.
Both side will draw up a list of the “top 10” points they believe are important. We will exchange lists and review each other’s points. A second meeting is tentatively scheduled for July 25. We will know more about how successful the June 14 meeting was when Land Stewards discusses it new plan.
Update on Coldstream Pool Repair— GM Edwards said that the pool would have to be closed down at some point in time in order for Century Pool to fix the whitecoating on the pool. He said the repair work would be done at the cost of Century Pool.
Report on Security Alternative Research— GM Edwards said that internal discussions had been ongoing on the matter. He said the deputies are able to uphold the law but that they cannot uphold the rules and regulations of the Eaglehead Planned Unit Development (PUD). He said that a private security company could uphold the PUD rules and regs. He noted that for the cost of one full-time deputy the community could have two full-time security officers everyday and still have traffic control from the sheriff’s office. Director Frazier asked if a proposal was coming to the board sometime in the near future. GM Edwards said yes. AGM Seligson noted that the association would still have in place the extra patrols for the summer months. GM Edwards said that cost was not the driving force on the issue. He said on the one hand the deputies could do certain things and not others that were important to the community. On the other hand a security company could do some things but not others and as a result the community is stuck in the middle and needs to find a balance.
Request from Resident for Reimbursement— GM Edwards said that Peddicord Path resident Fred Weller had requested that the association reimburse him for $350 for excessive damage to his backyard from water run-off. Discussion centered on doing more research to determine who is responsible for the run-off. The board decided to table the matter until the next meeting.
Staff Response to Complaint Regarding Hemlock Point Road Property Damage— GM Edwards said that he had talked with the property owner regarding solutions to the problem that involves a great velocity of water. He said that MISS UTILITY had been contacted. He noted that a plan was needed to address the problem. Director Frazier suggested making a determination as to whether the property is included in the CDA and to what extent the LLA could respond. Director Rogers asked about the status of the Lake Anita Louise townhouse slope sloughing and asked for the GM to give her information. GM Edwards said that Duane Rippeon from Linganore Services had asked that utilities be marked in that area and that he had a plan.
• Resident Larry Dusold asked for information on Land Stewards’ recorded lots and authority to vote. He said that after several requests he had still not received a report. He was told that the officer manager had completed the information and would have it ready on Tuesday.
Director Rogers made a motion to
adjourn the meeting. Director Cates seconded the motion. The meeting was adjourned at 10:30 p.m.