December 2014 KHHA Board Meeting Minutes

Kings Hill Homeowner Association Board Meeting

December 8 , 2014  Lower Westford Town Office

Called to Order at 7:15 pm

Present:  Jim Nichols, Jake Cady, Anne Cummings, Ann Laramee, Martha McClintock, Janice
Edler

Guests: None

Secretary: The minutes for the November board meeting were read and approved. 

Treasurer: The treasurer's report for November was read and accepted.

Roads:  The road contract is signed and the first payment has been sent to Luokos.  We have
asked Loukos to put more sand on the roads but please drive carefully in winter driving
conditions.

The tree cutting on Birch Ridge will need to be put off until January.  We will look into the price
of renting a chipper to deal with the wood that is cut down.

A motion was made to have the board look into hiring an experienced road expert to look at the
intersection of Birch Ridge and Forest Lane and make suggestions on how to make the
intersection more safe.  The motion passed unanimously.

Trails:   The trails seem to be in good shape. 

KHHA Handbook: A draft copy of the handbook/directory was sent to board members and work
is being done on a final draft.

Covenant Committee:  The committee members have been sent a copy of the covenants to
study.  The first meeting will be held in January.

Board Goals for 2015

• Finalize outstanding dues collection policy
• Discuss long term plans for roads

The meeting was adjourned at 8:38 pm.  The next meeting will be on January 12 at 7:00 in the
lower Westford Town office.

Respectfully submitted,
Martha McClintock

November 2014 KHHA Board Meeting Minutes

Kings Hill Homeowner Association Board Meeting

November 10 , 2014 Lower Westford Town Office

Called to Order at 7:05pm

Present: Eric Johnson, Jim Nichols, Jake Cady, Anne Cummings, Ann Laramee, Martha McClintock, Maria Moore, Janice Edler

Guests:

Secretary: The minutes for the October board meeting and the annual association meeting were approved.

Treasurer: There has been no financial activity since the budget report at the annual meeting..

Invoices for overdue accounts (with one exception) were sent out on November 2.  The board voted to start Small Claims Court proceedings on December 1 for accounts that are overdue.

Roads: The damaged culverts have been replaced and the excavator will return to deal with the areas of the roads that sunk after the new culverts were put in. A homeowner requested that the association look at a culvert near his home. It will be looked at next summer.

The board will try to get together a work party in December to cut some trees that are rotting and close to the road on Birch Ridge.

Trails: The trail work day was very successful. The trails will be re-blazed this fall or next spring.

KHHA Directory: We received several quotes for printing a new KHHA handbook. The board voted, with one dissenting vote, to spend $200 for 100 copies of a handbook to distribute to members. Anne will get a copy of the handbook to the board for approval before sending it out to the printer.

Covenant Committee: Jim is attempting to get a clean copy of the covenants to distribute to the committee for study before starting the committee meetings.

Officers: The board officers for next year are

President: Ann Laramee; Vice President: Jim Nichols; Treasurer: Eric Johnson; Secretary: Martha McClintock; Roads: Jake Cady; Environmental: Anne Cummings;   Trails: Janice Edler

The meeting was adjourned at 8:45. The next meeting will be December 8, 2014 at 7:00 at the lower Westford Town office.

Respectfully submitted,

Martha McClintock

2014 KHHA Annual Meeting

Kings Hill Homeowner Association Annual Meeting

October 27, 2014       Westford Public Library

Call to Order 7:04 pm

Present: Eric Johnson, Jim Nichols, Maria Moore, Martha McClintock, Ann Laramee, Anne Cummings, Jake Cady

Guest: Eight Homeowners attended the meeting.s:

President' Report: The president reviewed the work of the board during the 2013-2014 association year. Click here to access this report.

Treasurer’s Report:The treasurer presented a copy of the financial report for the 2013-2014 association year.  Click here to access this report.

Guest Forum: A question and answer period allowed homeowners to get answers to questions which had not been answered in the presentations. Issues that were discussed included ways to fund improving our roads (including forming a fire district to borrow the money and asking for a one time capital assessment), questions about homeowners who do not pay dues, and ways to deal with hunters who are hunting too close to our homes.

Voting for the 2014-2015 Board: next year' board members are Eric Johnson, Jim Nichols, Janice Edler, Martha McClintock, Ann Laramee, Anne Cummings, and Jake Cady.

The board thanks Maria Moore for her years of work on the board.

Adjourned.

Respectfully Submitted,

Martha McClintock

October 2014 KHHA Board Meeting Minutes

Kings Hill Homeowner Association Board Meeting

October 13, 2014 Westford Town Offices

Call to Order: 7:00 pm

Present: Eric Johnson, Jim Nichols, Maria Moore, Martha McClintock, Jake Cady, Anne Laramee

Guests: Dave Strippe, Janice Edler

Open Forum : The guests talked about the need for road improvements on Birch Ridge/Forest Lane and the difficulty keeping up with the roads' improvement needs with our current budget.

Secretary: The minutes for the September meeting were read and approved.

Treasurer: The treasurer presented a joint report for September and October.

Roads: The culvert work will begin next week. The excavator will do all he can to keep the road closures to a minimum but the roads (Mountain, Penny Lane, and parts of Birch Ridge) will be closed for a short amount of time. When we know more clearly when the work will be done, homeowners will be emailed about the closure. Instead of Forest Lane culvert excavation, the excavator was asked to work on the Forest Lane turn-around.

A question was asked about roadside mowing and it was reported that Roberge & Sons Mowing has done the work in the past.

Delinquent Accounts: There was discussion about delinquent accounts and the next steps. The treasurer will be sending out statements and reminding those who are paying in increments that the payments should be completed by the end of the year.

Homeowners Handbook: Anne Cummings is planning to get quotes for printing copies of an updated KHHA handbook.

Trails: The trails are a wonderful feature of KHHA and all homeowners are welcome to use and enjoy them. The trails need work and a trail clearing day is planned for November 1 (Rain date November 2). Meet at the top of Mountain Road at 8:30am, share a few breakfast snacks, get together with some neighbors, and help us work on the trails. Many hands will make light work!

Committee to Review Declarations: A committee has been formed to review and update the KHHA covenants. The committee will start meeting in November and there is still time to join them. Please email Jim Nichols at jnicholsdvm@aol.com if you are interested in joining the committee.

Annual KHHA Meeting will be on October 27, 2014 at 7:00 pm at the Westford Library. The board went over what it needed to do prepare for the meeting. The secretary will mail out the ballots as soon as she can. The treasurer will prepare a yearly income/expenditure report for the meeting and the president will prepare a report of the board's work.

The meeting was adjourned at 8:18. The next scheduled meeting will be the annual meeting as described above.

Kings Hill Homeowners Association

Annual Meeting

Monday,  October 27, 2014

7:00 pm

Trail Clearing Day

Kings Hill Home Association Trail Clearing Day

Saturday November 1, 2014

Meet at Top of Mountain Road

8:30 am Light breakfast foods and drinks

Head out on the trails before 9:00 am

Bring clippers, loppers, hand saws and chain saws

Rain day is November 2, 2014

Please check your email morning of Nov 1 if raining too hard

Questions call Ann Laramee 893-3879 or C 598-3632

September 2014 KHHA Board Meeting Minutes

Kings Hill Homeowner Association Board Meeting

September 8, 2014 Lower Westford Town Office

Called to Order at 7:05pm

Present: Jim Nichols, Jake Cady, Anne Cummings, Ann Laramee, Martha McClintock

Guests: Butch and Julie Halliday

Guest Forum: The guests had questions about the culvert at the bottom of Mountain Road.

Secretary: The minutes for July and August were approved.

The board went over some of the emails that we have received from homeowners.

Treasurer: There was no treasurer report for September.

Roads: The board considered bids and approved spending for winter snow removal and for replacement of four culverts.

Loukos Plowing will continue to plow our roads ($ 14,500/year for a three year contract). Jake will stipulate that we need more sand spread on the roads and that the banks should be pushed back more on a regular basis. The vote was unanimous.

Jake had an estimate from Pigeon Brothers for the culvert replacements. The motion was made to accept the estimate and it was approved.

Trails: The trails are a wonderful feature of KHHA and all homeowners are welcome to use and enjoy them. The trails need work and a trail clearing day is planned for November 1st (Rain date November 2^nd). Meet at the top of Mountain Road at 8:30am, share a few breakfast snacks, get together with some neighbors, and work on the trails. Many hands will make light work!

KHHA Directory: Anne will get quotes for the printing of the KHHA Directory.

KHHA Annual Meeting: The annual meeting will be held October 27^th at 7:00 pm at the Westford Library. At that time, there will be voting on board members for the coming year. We need homeowners in good standing (annual dues must be paid in full) to join the board. If you have interest and the ability to join the board for one evening a month, please email us at khha.vt@gmail.com to get your name on the ballot.

Covenants Review Committee:  A committee to review the KHHA covenants has been formed.  If you are interested in joining the committee, please email Jim Nichols at jnicholsdvm@aol.com.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:45. The next meeting will be October 13, 2014 at 7:00 at the lower Westford Town office.

August 2014 KHHA Board Meeting Minutes

Kings Hill Homeowner Association Board Meeting

August 18, 2014 Westford Town Green

Call to order: 7:08

Present: Martha McClintock, Maria Moore, Anne Cummings, Jake Cady

Secretary: The minutes from the July meeting were not read.
The Google account, drive, and blog are working again.
Martha was reimbursed for the mailing of the meeting minutes. Two members provided
us with email addresses as a result of the mailing.
The board was reminded to forward communications with homeowners to the KHHA
email and to “cc” KHHA in responses so that the board has a written record of the
conversations.

Treasurer: The treasurer's report was read and accepted. Three hundred dollars of
back dues were paid last month. A homeowner contacted the treasurer with concerns
about the dues. She suggested that he talk to the president.
Maria will bring a detailed list of delinquent accounts to the September meeting so the
board can move on small claims court proceedings.

Roads: Jake presented the three quotes for next winter's plowing, the quotes were
discussed and will be voted on next month.
Jake presented the quote for the culvert work. The Mountain Road culvert is most in
need of repair.
Jake noted that there are a number of trees that are too close to the road on Birch
Ridge that should be removed before winter. What can be done with the wood that is
cut down?

Directory: Anne is still looking for feedback and is making changes based on feedback
she has had so far. She will look at the price for printing 100 copies of the directory.
Trails: Ann has suggested November 1st for trail work. The rain date will be November
2nd. It is important to get the word out and get some help as there is quite a bit of work
to do.

Annual Meeting: the board discussed what needs to be done to prepare for the annual
meeting and will continue next month.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:08. The next meeting will be September 8th at the
lower Town Offices.

July KHHA Board Meeting Minutes

Kings Hill Homeowner Association Board Meeting

July 14, 2014 Westford Town Office, Lower Level
Call to Order 7:06 pm

Present: Eric Johnson, Martha McClintock, Jim Nichols, Ann Laramee, Anne Cummings

Guests: Donna Liberty, Anne Maloney

Open Forum: The guests spoke on the need for work on Mountain and Birch Ridge Roads.
One asked about the delivery of meeting minutes.

Secretary: The following motion was made and approved: Monthly board meeting minutes
will be written and sent out to board members for suggestions and corrections within a
week of the meeting. Board members should respond to the email using “Reply All” within
a week. If all responding board members okay the minutes with corrections/suggestions,
the secretary will send the copy of the minutes, marked as draft and unapproved, to
homeowners two weeks after the meeting. Any board member can request that the
minutes be held back until the next meeting before dissemination to the homeowners.
When the minutes are approved, at the next meeting, official minutes will be saved in
GoogleDocs and on the KHHA blog and members will be directed to these locations for
approved minutes.

Martha compiled a list of goals that the board has discussed in meetings this year and
handed the list out to board members.

Martha will visit the town offices in August and update the contact list. She will send
Ann Laramee and Ann Cummings information about the KHHA website so that the
information can be passed on to homeowners through the directory and a newsletter.

Treasurer: Maria provided a treasurer's report for July which was read and accepted.
One homeowner paid their dues. There are $6,558.45 in unpaid dues outstanding.

Roads: There is nothing to report this month.

Committee to Review Declarations/Covenants: Jim Nichols has agreed to be the
chairman of a committee to review and rewrite the association covenants which were
written in 1973. He would like at least one representative from each road. If you are
interested in being on the committee, please email Jim Nichols at jnicholsdvm@aol.com
for more information.

Collection Policy : The board discussed clarifications to the collection policy.

Trail and Road Use Rules : The president presented information about KHHA
covenants and state laws about using unregistered motorized vehicles on lots and
common areas in KHHA.

Homeowner's Handbook: We will discuss the handbook further in following meetings.

Executive Session: The board adjourned to executive session to discuss the board
meeting minutes from June 2014.
The board returned to regular session and approved the amended minutes from the
board meeting in June 2014.

The meeting was adjourned at 9:10.

Note: The next meeting was scheduled to be on August 11 at 7:00 at the lower
Westford Town offices but the meeting will need to be rescheduled as there will not be
a quorum that night. An email will be sent out with the new meeting and place.

Martha McClintock

June 2014 KHHA Board Meeting Minutes

Kings Hill Homeowners’ Association Board Meeting

June 9, 2014 at 7:00 Lower Town Office

Present: Eric Johnson, Maria Moore, Martha McClintock, Ann Laramee, Jim Nichols, Jake Cady

Guest: Bill McClintock

Secretary: Minutes for April and May meetings were approved after some discussion and modification.

Eric made a motion that secretary minutes, treasurer report, and newsletters be mailed out quarterly to homeowners that we do NOT have email addresses for. The motion was seconded and approved. The secretary will be given money to reimburse for postage, copying, and envelopes for this purpose.

Treasurer: Maria presented the financial report for the month of May. Six homeowners paid some or all of the dues owed. Twelve homeowners still owe some or all of their past dues.

There has been no further communication from the IRS since early May on taxes that the association may owe for the years 2010 and 2011.

The board reviewed the collection policy.

Roads: Jake reported that he has one quote for a winter plowing contract. We are waiting for two more quotes before voting to approve a contract.

The association roads were graded and potholes have been removed. Thank you to Kim Maloney and Jay Liberty for your work on Mountain Road. Your volunteer work to improve Mountain Road conditions and reduce maintenance are much appreciated.

A culvert on the bottom of Mountain Road, at the beginning of Penny Lane, and two at the top of Birch Ridge need replacing as they have significant rust.

Other: A homeowner approached the board about a child riding a motorbike on North Road. We would like to remind homeowners that, according to our covenants, “ No common area may be used by snowmobiles or unregistered motor vehicles”.

Respectfully submitted,

Martha McClintock

May 2014 KHHA Board Meeting Minutes

Kings Hill Homeowner Association Board Meeting

May 12, 2014 Westford Town Office, Lower Level

Call to Order 7:05 pm

Present: Eric Johnson, Jake Cady, Martha McClintock, Anne Cummings, Maria Moore

Secretary: We will review/approve April and May minutes at the June meeting.

Treasurer: April and May Treasurer's reports were presented and discussed (see attachments). 60 days past due notices have been sent to 12 homeowners. Four homeowners still owe some, or all, of their 2013 dues. The Board is considering Paypal or credit card payment options.

Documentation of KHHA dues collection policy is in progress.

Unpaid State taxes for 2010–2012 total $800.

Roads: A complete assessment of KHHA and homeowner culverts is planned.  KHHA’s contractor will be providing quotes for KHHA and homeowner culverts that need replacement. Homeowners are responsible for culverts crossing their driveway.

Mountain Road culvert needs replacement.  A motion to improve Birch Ridge Road and the replacement of a guardrail on North Road were discussed.

Trails: There is one tree down on the trail near the top of Ledge Road. The trails are wet and there appears to be some ATV use on the Orange trail this Spring which could be eroding the trail.

Other: Some homeowners have received a letter from VTCom indicating interest in leasing land for a cell tower. There was a discussion on whether the Covenants allow this land use within the Association boundaries.

The meeting was adjourned at 8:10

The next meeting will be June 9, 2014 at 7:00 pm in the lower Westford Town Office.

Submitted by Eric Johnson

April 2014 KHHA Board Meeting Minutes

April 2014 KHHA Board Meeting Minutes 4/21/2014

Call to Order 7:05pm

Present: Eric Johnson, Jake Cady, Anne Cummings, Maria Moore, Jim Nichols, Ann Laramee (recording)

Secretary:  Minutes of the last meeting were read and then approved.

Covenants: Began discussion and will be continued at next meeting. Reviewed the compilation of past investigative work done by Linda Johnson past president and the legal work by Gravel and Shea Firm; attorney Mr. Eustace. All documents are in a well-organized binder. Documents that are in a word format will be sent to Jim who will assist in creating an electronic file for cloud storage; other documents not in Word will be scanned as pdfs. 

Treasurer’s Report:  $3000 Collected from members as dues. No monies out. Dues are late from 24 households. Eric has been in contact with the state regarding past state taxes that were late – we may be able to avoid penalties since we have been forthcoming. Maria working on next year’s budget.  WE need a collection policy or standard process that is documented.

Roads: Birch Ridge and Mountain Roads have numerous pot holes. North Road in pretty good shape except the bottom. Jim offered to fill potholes on Mtn Rd if we could have a load of sure pack delivered. Unfortunately, because of current town wt spring road restrictions we cannot have any work done on the roads at this time.  Jake has a plan to meet with Pidgeons to inspect individual home owner’s culverts. Winter plowing cost this winter was $13,500, in process of getting quotes for next yr.

Trails: nothing to report

Environmental: nothing to report. Please call Anne Cummings (802-891-6178) if you are planning building projects or tree cutting which would require board approval.

Other:  Anne would like board input for content of the directory, potential board agenda item.

Thanks to everyone who paid their 2014 dues. As a reminder, dues not paid by March 1 start accruing interest at 7.5%

Respectfully Submitted,

Ann Laramee

March 2014 KHHA Board Minutes

March 10, 2014 Westford Town Office, Lower Level 
 

Call to Order 7:05 pm

Present: Eric Johnson, Jake Cady, Martha McClintock,, Ann Laramee, Anne Cummings, Maria Moore, Jim Nichols

Guests: William Pelkey 

Guests Forum: The guest had a chance to voice some of his thoughts about the association.  

Secretary: The minutes of the last meeting were approved.
Martha reported that many people have responded to the request for updated contact information. A letter will be mailed to the members for whom we have no email address. 

Treasurer: Maria provided the board with a financial report for the month. (See attachment.) The report was accepted.
The board is working on the tax forms for the current year as well as continuing to work on back taxes. 

Roads: Martha made the motion that we ask Joey Pigeon (who does the summer road maintenance) to look at homeowner's culverts during his spring walk through. The motion was seconded and approved.
The board will seek insurance quotes to see if we can decrease insurance costs. 


Trails: Nothing to Report 

Environmental: Please call Anne Cummings (891-6178 or 238-9750) if you are planning building projects or tree cutting which would require board approval. 

Other:
New Directory: Anne reported on progress on the new directory.
Google Calendar: Eric showed the work he has done on the Google Calendar which will help future boards meet responsibilities in a timely manner.

The meeting was adjourned at 8:14
The next meeting will be April 14, 2014 at 7:00 pm in the lower Westford Town Office.

February 2014 KHHA Board Minutes

February 10, 2014 at 7:00 in the lower Town Offices.

Present: Eric Johnson, Maria Moore, Jake Cady, Martha McClintock, Anne Cummings, Ann Laramee, Jim Nichols, Mike Dandurand

Guests: Dale Walker

Secretary Report: The secretary report from the last meeting was accepted.

Martha is continuing to update and consolidate KHHA information in a form that will be accessible to the board in the future. The Board reviewed the State's list of required documents and records for Homeowner's Associations.

Martha has also created a KHHA site for all KHHA members. The site is found at http://khhavt.blogspot.com/. Information that can be found here is meeting minutes, maps, links to the covenants, and board member information. More information will be added as time goes on.

Martha was asked to update the KHHA contact list.

Road Report: Jake phoned several businesses to ask for quotes for a road contract for next winter. He will report the quotes when they get back to him.

Treasurer Report: Maria reported a balance of $6124.42 with funds received of $675 and pending payments of $4500 for Loukos and reimbursement to Eric Johnson of $436.46 for the computer and $267.49 for Quickbooks.

Maria sent the required yearly report to the Vermont Secretary of State.

She sent out the invoices for 2014 KHHA dues.

The People's Bank checking account is being updated so that the current President and Treasurer can completely access it. The Wells Fargo Reserve Fund account is now in Maria Moore's and Anne Laramee's names.

Eric summarized the status of a tax issue discovered by the Board last year. KHHA, as a nonprofit, pays little or no federal taxes as long as the appropriate forms are filed in a timely manner. Unfortunately, no forms were filed between 2007 and 2012 and KHHA was charged back taxes and penalties.

Trails Report:

Environmental Report: A homeowner asked for the procedure he should follow to get approval to build a shed this summer. The board suggested that he start by going to the town for a building permit and Martha will send him a copy of the KHHA construction form.

Other New Business:

1.  The board will look into new quotes for insurance. It may be one area where we     can save some money.

2.  Ann and Anne are putting together information for a new KHHA directory. It will     be found online and Jim Nichols suggested that they look for sponsors and create a print copy as well.

3.  Because there is a regular turnover of KHHA volunteer board members, the     board would like to create guidelines and a yearly timeline so that     responsibilities are met. We will look into using a Google Calendar.

Next Meeting: March 10, 2014 at 7:00 in the lower Town Offices.

Respectfully submitted, Martha McClintock

January 2014 KHHA Board Minutes

January 13, 2014, 7:00 pm at the Town Offices

 Present: Eric Johnson, Maria Moore, Jake Cady, Martha McClintock, Anne Cummings, Ann Laramee, Jim Nichols

Guests: John Anderson, Bill McClintock, Mike Dandurand

Secretary Report: The secretary report from the last meeting was accepted.

Martha apologizes for forgetting to use “BCC” and therefore showing all email addresses in the emailed minutes and reminders.

Martha has begun the process of creating a website so that members can access minutes and information online. Mike Dandurand has offered to help in the creation of the website. Thanks, Mike.

Road Report: Jake has not obtained quotes for the snow removal for next year yet.

Plowing and sanding for this year is going fine. There were some concerns about a delay in plowing during one storm. Mr. Lukos had expected a greater snowfall and was waiting for more accumulation that did not materialize.

The winter snow removal contract costs $13,500 for snow removal, sanding as needed and pushing back the banks once during the winter. It is paid in three installments.

If there was damage during the ice storm that caused trees to fall in or over a road in front of your property, please remove the trees. If you can not remove the trees, please call a board member for help.

Treasurer Report: Maria received the treasurer information from Donna Goodheart (Past Treasurer) this week.

The balance in the KHHA “regular operating” account at this point is $3935.95.

One homeowner paid delinquent dues this month.. Eric Johnson met privately with another association member to discuss the payment of back dues.

The paperwork has been filled out to transfer the handling of the Wells Fargo “rainy day fund” account to Maria Moore and Ann Laramee so that the board can access that money.

Maria plans to send out invoices for 2014 dues next week. Payment is due by March 1, 2014. Dues that are not paid by April 1, 2014, will be charged interest at the rate of 7.5% per year. Sue Adams provided the board with the names of new KHHA homeowners who moved in within the last year. Thanks, Sue.

The board agreed that we should look into quotes (how much it would cost and what would be required) to do an audit of the association finances. Ann Laramee will ask Susan Lachance for an estimate.

The board approved the purchase of a new laptop and Quick Books accounting software to improve the bookkeeping process. It will not be installed and used until after the invoices for this year are sent out.

Trails Report: Ann worked on the trails to clear felled trees and branches on Sunday. She reported that the trails are in relatively good shape despite the ice storm. Mike Dandurand and Eric Johnson will clear one larger downed tree on the red trail.

Environmental Report: Reminders from the covenants: 

“Live trees of greater size that 6 inches in diameter on the stump at four feet above the ground shall not be removed from any lot with prior approval...” If you have overcrowded trees or damaged trees from the ice storm that need removal, let us know.

“No common area may be used by snowmobiles or unregistered vehicles. Snowmobiles or unregistered vehicles may not be operated on any lot or living unit.”

Next Meeting: February 10, 2014 at 7:00 in the lower Town Offices.

Respectfully submitted, Martha McClintock