There are a few minor developments to report on the ICC front.
First, several members of the association (myself, Art Carter, and Jean Smith) met with a representative of the State Highway Administration on Feb. 20. The representative was a substitute for the person I normally deal with, who was out of town on a family emergency. However the main message we got from the SHA guy who came was that the state is very willing to entertain a counteroffer. Our neighborhood association next needs to present the state with what we think is a proper compensation for the loss of use of our land, above the $102,000 they have already offered. If anyone in this group has any experience at appraising properties, or any experience in real estate at all, and would be interested in helping me come up with this number, please let me know. I have many documents that state the rationale the state used to come up with the $102,000 number, but I am not an expert at gauging what kind of money we ought to be asking for ourselves. Of course we could always hire an appraiser to do this for us, but we would need to have association approval to go forward with that expense, which is not nominal.
Second, the state also wants to set up a meeting between neighborhood residents and the contract manager for Contract A, which covers our area of Montgomery County. This is a high-up official who will be available to answer our questions. He/she will come to a weekday evening meeting in our neighborhood, along with a public relations consultant, to meet with us. The state is currently trying to find a date for this but it will probably be in late April or early May. I would encourage as many of you as possible to attend this meeting, and will let you know when a date is set. The purpose of this meeting would be to ask questions and express concerns about the impact of the road itself, not to negotiate a compensation amount.
Sunday, March 25, 2007
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
ICC: another meeting
I received a call today from a public affairs consultant who is working with the State Highway Administration. He wants to arrange a meeting in late April or early May with his team and the contract manager for our section of the ICC. I will be in touch with everyone regarding if/when this meeting happens and what people need to know before it takes place.
Minutes: board of directors' meeting, March 7
Meeting, Shady Grove Station Townhouse Association board of directors
March 7, 2007
In attendance: Art Carter (president), Steve Edgar (treasurer), Alex Witze (secretary)
The meeting was called to order at 6:30 pm.
Art mentioned that he would like the next issue of the Weathervane to include ‘neighborly acts’ such as residents picking up trash, helping dig out cars during snowstorms, etc. Alex will inquire and include some of these in the next issue of the newsletter, which will come out in the spring.
The board discussed the work truck that has been parked for some time without moving in the first space on the right as you enter Weatherby Drive. A letter was sent to the believed owners but with no response. Art will develop a ‘violations’ form and submit a copy to the believed owners. He expressed concern over the legal rights of the board to tow the truck. Alex noted that some residents have pointed out that the truck hitch is extending into the parking area and poses a danger to cars that have to swerve to avoid it.
Steve brought copies of the proposed letter to ask residents to provide the make, model and license number of their cars. This is a first step in trying to get a handle on how many cars each resident is parking on Weatherby Dr. Each unit is allotted two cars only; any additional must be parked elsewhere outside of the neighborhood. Steve will distribute the form the next time the due notices go out. Eventually, if the lot is full and neighbors have no place to park, the board will discuss towing cars that are not on the registered list of neighborhood vehicles. To avoid this, overnight visitors should park in the reserved space allotted to the unit they are visiting. Much advance notice would be given before any such towing would occur.
Steve will send out the letter notifying residents of the 10 percent increase in dues, as approved at the annual meeting.
The board discussed a letter from the owner of 7530 requesting to pay the owner-occupied fee, as he considers it his second home and it is not rented out. The board agreed due to his circumstances, and agreed it would be best to re-classify ‘non-owner-occupied’ as ‘rental’ as appropriate. Rental rates are higher than owner-occupied rates to account for the extra cost of maintaining the property. Alex will draft a letter to the owner of 7530 in response.
Steve will pass around a copy of our current insurance policy so that all board members are aware of what is included in it.
Alex will look into higher interest-rate accounts that might be used for our reserve fund or to hold the ICC money if and when we accept it.
Steve will fill out a tax form for tax year 2006 by the deadline, March 15. Apparently this form has not been filed for some years but the board agreed it would be best to start filing it now as opposed to not doing it again.
Art discussed various committees getting started. Gregg and Melissa Price, and Annette Carter, are on the welcoming committee and will provide an update at the next board meeting. The same group, along with Pete Patellis, makes up the environmental protection board. They will set a meeting date and update at the next board meeting. The board also discussed the need for a planning committee to identify long-term issues of concern to the community, as discussed at the annual meeting. Alex noted that Debbie Edgerly has expressed interest in this and should be a part of any plans. Art will pursue.
Alex reported on her Feb. 20 meeting with the state highway administration regarding the ICC, which consisted of the state saying we should come back with a counteroffer with a monetary amount we feel is just compensation for the loss of our property. She will send out an update to the entire SGSTA membership shortly.
The next board meeting will be April 4, at 6:30 pm at Steve’s house.
The meeting adjourned just before 8 p.m.
March 7, 2007
In attendance: Art Carter (president), Steve Edgar (treasurer), Alex Witze (secretary)
The meeting was called to order at 6:30 pm.
Art mentioned that he would like the next issue of the Weathervane to include ‘neighborly acts’ such as residents picking up trash, helping dig out cars during snowstorms, etc. Alex will inquire and include some of these in the next issue of the newsletter, which will come out in the spring.
The board discussed the work truck that has been parked for some time without moving in the first space on the right as you enter Weatherby Drive. A letter was sent to the believed owners but with no response. Art will develop a ‘violations’ form and submit a copy to the believed owners. He expressed concern over the legal rights of the board to tow the truck. Alex noted that some residents have pointed out that the truck hitch is extending into the parking area and poses a danger to cars that have to swerve to avoid it.
Steve brought copies of the proposed letter to ask residents to provide the make, model and license number of their cars. This is a first step in trying to get a handle on how many cars each resident is parking on Weatherby Dr. Each unit is allotted two cars only; any additional must be parked elsewhere outside of the neighborhood. Steve will distribute the form the next time the due notices go out. Eventually, if the lot is full and neighbors have no place to park, the board will discuss towing cars that are not on the registered list of neighborhood vehicles. To avoid this, overnight visitors should park in the reserved space allotted to the unit they are visiting. Much advance notice would be given before any such towing would occur.
Steve will send out the letter notifying residents of the 10 percent increase in dues, as approved at the annual meeting.
The board discussed a letter from the owner of 7530 requesting to pay the owner-occupied fee, as he considers it his second home and it is not rented out. The board agreed due to his circumstances, and agreed it would be best to re-classify ‘non-owner-occupied’ as ‘rental’ as appropriate. Rental rates are higher than owner-occupied rates to account for the extra cost of maintaining the property. Alex will draft a letter to the owner of 7530 in response.
Steve will pass around a copy of our current insurance policy so that all board members are aware of what is included in it.
Alex will look into higher interest-rate accounts that might be used for our reserve fund or to hold the ICC money if and when we accept it.
Steve will fill out a tax form for tax year 2006 by the deadline, March 15. Apparently this form has not been filed for some years but the board agreed it would be best to start filing it now as opposed to not doing it again.
Art discussed various committees getting started. Gregg and Melissa Price, and Annette Carter, are on the welcoming committee and will provide an update at the next board meeting. The same group, along with Pete Patellis, makes up the environmental protection board. They will set a meeting date and update at the next board meeting. The board also discussed the need for a planning committee to identify long-term issues of concern to the community, as discussed at the annual meeting. Alex noted that Debbie Edgerly has expressed interest in this and should be a part of any plans. Art will pursue.
Alex reported on her Feb. 20 meeting with the state highway administration regarding the ICC, which consisted of the state saying we should come back with a counteroffer with a monetary amount we feel is just compensation for the loss of our property. She will send out an update to the entire SGSTA membership shortly.
The next board meeting will be April 4, at 6:30 pm at Steve’s house.
The meeting adjourned just before 8 p.m.
Minutes of neighborhood meetings
Hi, I will begin posting minutes of the board of directors meetings here every month. I will leave out sensitive details such as who has not paid their dues. :) Otherwise hopefully this will be a better way for all residents to stay informed as to what is going on with neighborhood business.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)