Annual Meeting Minutes

Board Members Present:  Jim Davidson, president, Tom Johnson, vice-president, Dick Vautravers, Treasurer, Marlene Davidson and Steve Imes.

Staff: Don McIntyre

The meeting was called to order at 2:04 p.m. by President Davidson.

President Davidson introduced Board members Tom Johnson, Dick Vautravers, Marlene Davidson and Steve Imes and Administrative Assistant Don McIntyre

President Davidson confirmed that there was a quorum in attendance.

President Davidson asked for approval of the 2015 Annual Meeting Minutes.  A motion was made by Lily Hans and seconded by Paul Canny that they be approved. The motion carried.

President Davidson introduced the candidates up for election to the Board of Directors and asked them to make their presentation to the group.  The candidates to be elected are Paul Canny, Marlene Davidson, Carol Conway and Bill Rice. Paul Canny spoke first followed by Marlene Davidson and Carol Conway.  Dick Vautravers read information from Bill Rice’s biography as he was visiting his first grandchild.  President Davidson asked for questions from the audience and there were none.

President Davidson called a recess so that members could cast their ballots.

The meeting was called back to order and as the votes were being counted, the officers gave their annual reports.

President’s State of the Association – James Davidson

This past year has been a good one for Wellington Greens.  The new maintenance building has been a pleasant building to see as you go by and it has been a blessing for Dan Riner and his crew.  The landscaping has been done around the building and it looks good.  The black metal retaining bars are yet to be installed.

The Ash Borer continues to make news and inroads in Nebraska and have been seen as close as thirty miles from Lincoln.  I would encourage each of your courts to consider working with Dan and begin to selectively plant alternate trees before they all begin to die.  We are buying five trees for our court and getting them planted now as we believe we have up to 10 years and each Ash tree in Wellington would be gone.

We have worked hard to bring the delinquent dues to par and currently we have 96% of the dues collected.  There may be a couple that we will never collect due to HUD problems, but we are on top of it.

Dues remain at $150 for the coming year, but next year there will be an increase.  How much, we do not know.  The finance Committee is not able to squeeze more money out of our funds.  The price of doing business increases due to inflation for Wellington Greens like everything else.  Comparative speaking, I know of a townhome near 48th and Van Dorn that their Association dues are $2,880 or $250 per month without the ambiance of Wellington Greens.

There is much talk that comes to me about the clubhouse as to what we are going to do.  It is a 45 year-old structure that needs some updating.  The main floor needs a handicapped bathroom and ADA handicapped access to the clubhouse, new windows, roof, insulation and decoration.

We have been exploring different options to raise money for the clubhouse renovation.  One idea is to put in tow or three new units along Old Post Road and perhaps four units along Devonshire. We are only in the discovery stage at this point.  Some have discussed a four year increase of $20 per month in dues to pay for the renovation, but no decision has been made.  I do know that for the board meetings or card playing, you need to light a match just to see if the lights are on.

We will continue to pursue excellence in our landscaping and how the yards are maintained and neatness.  We are not perfect, but we work hard.  Next year is the 50th anniversary of Wellington Greens.  It would be a nice thing to see how much we can improve our homes.  We will be getting letters out in the spring again about deficiencies in landscape, painting and appearance.  We all can affect the value of the neighborhood by how we maintain our places.

A special thanks to the Board.  They are a delight to work with as well as the maintenance crew.  As I tell the 20 phone calls and emails that I get per month, we are not perfect, but we work to be proficient.  Thank you.

Treasurer Report – Dick Vautravers

The financial statements, compiled by our independent accountant, Watts and Hershberger are available at the sign-in desk.  Does everyone who wants a copy have a copy of the report?

Page 1 of the statements indicates that our Accountant reported no deficiencies in their review of our financial information.  In fact Jim Watts was very positive about the financial controls, division of duties and professional knowledge of our accounting firm Professional Accounting Services.  This firm is owned by Stan Martin, a resident of Wellington Greens.

The Balance Sheet on page 2 shows our current assets of $93,073 are in excess of our current liabilities of $61,252.  Our cash on hand has decreased from last year.  This is primarily due to decreasing our total long-term debt by over $51,000.  This includes the interest portion of our monthly loan payment, plus a special $25,000 prepayment.  We also paid the final payment to our building contractor of about $20,000, and we purchased a new mower for $21,000 in September.  So while our cash position is down, we have increased the value of our property and equipment by nearly $30,000 and decreased our debt.

The last line on the Statement of Revenue and Expenses on page 3 shows that we had $38,143 of revenue in excess of expenses for last Fiscal Year (October 1, 2015 – September 30, 2017).  In looking at the line items of expenses, you will see that we spent more on Repairs and Maintenance Common Area this year.  This is the primarily the result of more tree removal and trimming, two water main breaks and re-grading of swales blocked by nearly 50 years of sedimentation.  We did not do any significant concrete work this year, as we generally concentrate these repairs every three to four years.

While page 3 shows an income of $38,000 over expenses, this page does not consider the $51,000 in principal repayments, nor the purchase of the mower nor the final payment to our contractor.  These items do not appear on the income statement, except through depreciation.

The Board voted in August to leave the monthly assessments at $150 per month for Fiscal Year 2016-2017.  Maintenance cost on a maturing campus continues to increase, and we have limited means to raise revenue by other avenues, so at some point in the future, a dues increase is nearly certain.

I would be happy to answer any questions that you might have about the Financial Statements.

Mr. George Tuck commented on the great job that had been done on the swales.

A question was asked about the amount of bad debts and Mr. Vautravers responded that last year we collected on two of the larger bad debts and that we will eventually collect on one property owned by HUD when the unit is auctioned.

Long Range Planning and Sewer – Dick Vautravers

The new maintenance building is complete, but the payments will continue for another six years.  Our monthly payment of $2,801 represents about $10 of our monthly dues, so this will limit our ability to take on another major project absent a dues increase mentioned in my Treasurer’s Report.  For this reason, the long-range planning committee has not been very active this past year.

We do have long-range needs.  As we have mentioned at prior meetings, we would like to upgrade the Clubhouse.  This will be a costly project.  We also must deal with the removal of Ash trees from our campus and the planting of replacement trees.  We also have ongoing needs for repair or replacement of aging concrete, as well as fences in Canterbury Courts.  Some of these projects can be handled through our annual budgeting process.  But additional major projects in the next 5-6 years will require a financial plan in order to raise revenues.

I would be happy to answer questions regarding the long-rang planning report.

A question was asked if the Board or the Association would approve the development of new lots and Mr. Vautravers replied that it was only an idea of a way to get funds to renovate the clubhouse; that to start with, members of the Board were going to visit with those owners that would be affected by living in close proximity to the developing lots.

Concrete – No Report

Architectural – Steve Imes

Steve thanked the Board for their time, experience and expertise.  He said he had lived in Wellington Greens for 16 years and this was his fourth year on the Board this time.  He said in May the Board divided the grounds among themselves and did a ride-around with golf carts; that a number of letters were sent to residents and he thanked the residents for calling him when they received a letter about repairs needing to be done and getting back to him when the repairs were made.  He said this process works very well.  He mentioned the bad hail storm this spring and all the roofs that needed repair and that in most cases the residents that resided in the same building would get together and repair their roofs and in the cases where they did not, it did not work as well.  He encouraged residents to contact him or other members of the Board prior to making any changes to the outside of their units and to be sure to visit with their neighbors, also.

Landscape – Marlene Davidson

Over the past three years, it has been my privilege to serve you at Wellington Greens as Landscape Chairman.  First, I would like to commend and thank our superintendent, Dan Riner and his crew.  He has been employed at Wellington Greens for more than 40 years.  He pampers and cares for our campus as though it is his own lawn.  At Wellington Greens we have 11 acres of golf course, approximately 20 acres of lawn, 2 and ½ miles of sidewalk and 20+ courtyards.  Dan and his crew of three keep the entire area immaculate.  He managed the construction of the new maintenance building and underground sewer system and grading to achieve proper water runoff.  Dan and his crew keep the grounds looking like a park.  They work overtime many times to keep this place beautiful.  When weather does not allow them to mow and maintain the grounds, they come back to work on the weekends.  Not many employees have that kind of commitment.  Dan and his crew are a well-kept secret.  Dan is a licensed arborist and attends classes constantly to stay abreast of the most current information.  Dan continues to take down problem trees and replace them with more appropriate selections.

Ash trees have been smitten with Emerald Ash Borer disease.  It started in the states east of Nebraska.  In time, you will see Ash trees dying.  That is why they have been marked with an “X” for removal.  This will change the look of our landscape in many areas.  Some of the Ash trees look healthy.  You may wonder why they have been taken down or marked for removal.  They are either unhealthy on the inside or dangerous for the public or our homes.  Dan diligently plants new trees to take their places, so our landscape will never be totally bare.

Dan and his crew continue to seed and over seed grass in troubled areas.  Taking advantage of the wonderful rains we have received makes our campus gorgeous.  Those who have lived her over the years say this is the best Wellington Greens has ever looked.  Thanks, Dan and crew for your diligence.

The exceptional rains we have enjoyed are a two-edged sword.  They have made our landscape magnificent.  However, they have also wreaked havoc with drainage in some areas.  While we all love the shade the huge trees provide, some of the maple trees with roots above ground allow erosion on the side hills.  Grass cannot grow because of all the shade, and the roots can even cause destruction of walls and foundations in some areas.  Some types of maple trees do not withstand treacherous weather, wind and squirrels very well.  So, some of them are being weakened from the inside out.  Dan is working on a plan to systematically replace them with more favorable choices.

I have relied on you to keep me informed when landscaping falls into disarray.  I welcome your calls and emails.  Without your help our community would not be as lovely as it is.  The association pays for and maintains the two entrances into our area at South Street and Old Post Road.  However, when landscaping is necessary within each cul-de-sac, meet with one another and your court captain.  Bring your new ideas to the landscape chairman to be shared with the Board.  Any realistic plan will most likely be approved.  In your private space, the same thing is true.  After your plan is approved, you are free to proceed.  This is only to keep some uniformity in our landscape.  We just want to eliminate bushes or trees that are too large, cause problems with foundations or hang over the neighbor’s property.  We like to reduce the possibilities of unpleasant situations in the future.

Finally, the winter months are approaching with probable snow and inclement weather.  The maintenance crew removes snow on your driveway and on the street.  You are responsible for snow removal in your patio area and two feet out from your garage.  The large machines cannot get any closer to the garage door without possibly causing damage.  The crew begins to remove snow about 3 AM.  If there is wind, they must wait until it is reasonable to begin.  If snow is overly heavy, they make one pass through every court, so folks can get out.  Then they come back to fine-tune.  Rather than calling to say they didn’t quite get all the snow removed in front of your property, just have another cup of coffee and enjoy the snowfall.  In time, they will get the job done decently and in order.  Be thankful they are doing all the work so we don’t have to do it ourselves.

This truly is a stunning setting in which to live.  Let’s make a concerted effort to make it the most welcoming, grandest setting to call home.

Golf – Tom Johnson

Tom said that we had seventy non-resident golf members and that we raised over $100,000 in the last four years through golf memberships.  He thanked Dan for taking such wonderful care of the golf course.  He said that the golf committee was working with the Tuesday night league to re-handicap the golf holes.

Social Committee – Tom Johnson

Tom had members of the Social Committee stand.  He said they were working on a holiday event.  He said next year will be the 50 year anniversary of Wellington Greens and they wanted to do something special for that.  He said that Wellington Greens has 21 communities, 277 units and in 1972 the dues were $15 per resident.

Residents’ questions to the Board members were taken.

Election results were announced by President Davidson.  Paul Canny and Carol Conway were elected to the Board of Directors.

President Davidson thanked the volunteers that worked today.  He reminded everyone of Bridge and Pitch in the clubhouse.

Resident Carl Engstrom’s name was drawn and he is the winner of one month’s Association dues.

President Davidson declared the meeting adjourned at 3:22 p.m.

Respectively submitted: W. Don McIntyre, Administrative Assistant