Unapproved Annual Membership Meeting Minutes Wellington Greens Home Owners Association
November 6, 2022
Board Members Present: Linda Siedhoff, president, Jim Wharry, Treasurer, Carol Conway, Secretary, Lon Dyer, Jeanne Johnson and Vaughn Carter.
Approved absences: None
Staff: Don McIntyre, Administrative Assistant
The meeting was called to order at 2:01 p.m. by President Siedhoff with 43 members present.
President Siedhoff acknowledged the residents in attendance and asked new residents to please stand and she acknowledged them. She asked that all residents that have lived in Wellington Greens over 20 years to stand, asked for those over 25 years and those over 30 years. She introduced the Board members in attendance.
President Siedhoff asked for approval of the 2020 Annual Meeting Minutes. A motion was made and seconded that they be approved. The motion carried.
President Siedhoff asked Vaughn Carter to introduce our guest speaker Dr. Zhenghong Tang. After he was introduced, he introduced his students that were present and they made a presentation to the residents on Vision 2033, a part of the Long Rand Planning program. The presentation included the proposal of an outdoor shelter/pavilion, updating the clubhouse, community gardens, tree planting programs and comparison of the dues and amenities of WGHA compared to other HOA in Lincoln.
President Siedhoff introduced the candidates up for election to the Board of Directors and had them make their presentation to the group. The candidates were Mike Behne, Burke Morrow, Rod Pieper and Jeff Wilson.
The Candidates made their presentations.
President Siedhoff 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 – Linda Siedhoff
It has been a busy year at Wellington Greens. We said goodbye to long-time employee, Dan Riner and welcomed our new grounds superintendent, Nick Horvath. Nick has been a great addition to our staff and has done a great job this year with Ryan and Eric’s help. They have been busy keeping the grounds growing in drought conditions, have had 72 stumps removed, reseeded areas and kept overall maintenance up to date. We have bought some new equipment, much of it was a result of the maintenance building being broken into and equipment stolen.
Our focus, as always, is to keep Wellington Greens a great place to live. We have worked hard getting all residents into compliance with the Wellington Greens bylaws and covenants. We had over 70 units who had not completed the work required on their homes. We are down to approximately 12 we are working with to get work completed. We have completed some much-needed concrete work, had several golf leagues and worked on improving some of the landscape.
We will continue to keep all repairs and replacements up to date and to keep Wellington Greens a great place to live.
Court Captains: Linda Siedhoff
The court captains met twice this year at the clubhouse, in the spring and the fall. Items of interest were discussed at each meeting, including golf course maintenance, landscaping and whether to eliminate rentals. The court captains are: Donna Schwartz, Sunbury, Bob Webb, San Simeon, Elizabeth Sorenson, Briar Glynn, Dave Fries, Kimberly, Paula Schwarton, Cromwell., Leslie Pieper, Devonshire, Lori Barr, Penbrook, Carrie Grant, Cambridge, Barb McCuen, Kensington, Carl Engstrom, Blenheim, Tedda Watts, Warwick, Connie Strohmyer and Pat Wharry, Tiffany, Annie Votipka, Canterbury, Nan Hessee, Gramercy, Velda Menard, Ramsgate, Kris Grier, Regency, Barry Johnson, Chatham, Jeff Wilson, Wellington. Thanks to all our volunteers.
Linda Siedhoff, Court Captain Chair
Treasurer Report – Jim Wharry
There are copies of the yearend financial statements available at the back of the room. The tax return has been filed and copy is there for your perusal also.
We started the year with $115,224 in our checking account. We ended up the fiscal year with a total cash balance of $164,839. Of that amount $131,566 is in our checking account and $33,273 in a savings account for our Reserve Fund account.
We added to our cash position by the net income from our operations in the amount of $37,365. To that amount you have to add the amount of depreciation, which is a non-cash expense, in the amount of $38,123 and an increase in our current liabilities which is mainly from the increase in prepaid dues from the association members.
We used some of that cash to purchase several pieces of equipment, a fertilizer spreader, a diesel fuel tank, a trailer for that fuel tank, and a television for the clubhouse. This was all at a cost of $ 12,143. We also paid $18,884 on our bank loan, which is now down to $72,539.
Financially, we are in a good position with total assets of $550,237 and total liabilities of $122,670. Our current ratio, the comparison of current assets, cash and accounts receivables of $178,195 and current liabilities, those which have to be paid over the next twelve months, of $69,819, gives us a 2.5:1 ratio. (A current ratio of 1.5:1 to 2:1 is considered favorable, so with a current ratio of 2.5:1 we are in a good financial position.
We did well on operations as shown by a net income of $37,365 for the year. We have $6,138 more in income than budgeted, mainly through from Greens Fees revenues. The expenses were under budget for the employees and building and grounds costs and over budget for utilities, which was due largely to the cost of water. The total administrative costs were $15,053 under budget.
We did experience a burglary last July. The red pickup truck was taken, along with numerous pieces of equipment. The truck was later recovered by the Lincoln Police Department and returned to us. The equipment was not recovered. The insurance company reimbursed us in the amount of $2,494 for the equipment that was lost and $3,003 to repair the pickup truck.
The lockbox arrangement is operating as it should. Everything is running as it should.
I would like to make a pitch for as many owners as possible to sign up for receiving their monthly statements and newsletters electronically. That would be a big savings in mailing costs. Plus, I want to make a pitch to have everyone send their dues payments to the address on the statements: PO Box 425, Gretna NE 68028.
I would like to thank all of you for the opportunity to serve on the board and the support I have received from everyone.
Respectfully submitted,
Jim Wharry
Concrete report – Jim Wharry
In 2021 we had a survey done of concrete repair needs. AJ Donner Construction.
Ended up showing $432,000 worth of work to be done
That first year Donner did $140,000 worth of work.
In 2022, Donner did another $25,000, finished off San Simeon Ct. which had been determined by the contractor and the maintenance staff to be most in need of repair.
This next year we have budgeted $27,000 for concrete. We’ve had to increase the amount due to inflationary, concrete and labor are costing more.
Using that original schedule and current updating of that schedule, we will have to assess what will be done in the coming year.
A few challenges in the work being done which will have to be address in this coming year.
Golf Report – Carol Conway
The non-resident membership fees were increased in 2022. We did have a slight decrease in membership this year. The total non-resident membership is now at 150. This is down a little from 2021. But it’s still up from 2020.
The board is considering another increase for non-resident members and for guest fees but that decision has been tabled for now.
We know that some residents don’t like having to pay for the golf course. But please remember that our non-resident members pay for a good portion of the care of the golf course. Our new grounds superintendent, Nick Horvath, has estimated that 21% of the expenses go toward the golf course. Everything else goes toward the commons area.
The income from the golf course was $52,251. So even though the membership dropped a little, we still brought in more money than last year from the golf course.
Once again, I would like to remind everyone to sign in when you play and mark down your guests. This helps us monitor the golf course for intruders. You may pay for your guests at the time of play or it will get billed on your regular monthly dues statement.
Also, if you are new to the community, please contact me for a golf tag. The sticker you will receive in the mail next year is not your golf tag. The sticker needs to go on your tag.
Landscape – Carol Conway
The Landscape Committee sent out several letters this year for cleanup. There are several that did not respond so the Board hired a company called Exterior Excellence. They cleaned up 4 units so far. The board paid for that service but the owners were billed for that cost. So please keep in mind that you are responsible for cleaning up around your unit. If you do not do that, the board will hire it done and you will be billed for it.
If you would like the number of Exterior Excellence, please let me or the new Landscape Chair know and you can hire them yourselves. This company is a young couple just getting started and they are eager for business. They seem to do a good job and are reasonably priced.
There was a very large white pine taken down in Kimberly Court recently at the request of the owners next to it. There were also many stumps ground this year. According to Nick’s records, we have approximately 23 ash trees left on campus.
I do want to let everyone know that there is a racoon in the area. I saw it one night when I came home after dark. Recently I have seen several piles of waste around our house. Please do not feed these wild animals.
Next year, the Architecture Committee and the Landscape Committee are going to join forces to allow for more volunteers to cover all 277 units. It’s a massive job for a small committee so I think this will be beneficial in getting properties inspected in a timelier fashion.
Architecture – Jeanne Johnson
My name is Jeanne Johnson and I started as chair of the Architecture Committee in May of 2022 to replace Mike Beaver. Since I started, we have received 12 change requests for various request, repairs, remodeling, painting. We have had one non-conformity notice. From the 2020 Architecture Survey, 14 units repairs were not completed as of November 18, 2021; two required Board intervention; one completed repair on their own. The other unit, the Board hired a contractor to complete repairs and the owners paid the bill. Seven will receive notice that the Board will hire contractors to complete repairs if not completed by April 1, 2023. Five have repairs that can be delt with during the 2023 survey. The 2023 Architecture and Landscaping survey will start April 1 and go through May 30, 2023. Notice of the survey will be advertised starting in January, 2023 in the Wellington Greens newsletter and run through May, 2023 stating when it will happen, what will be looked at, what happens if repairs are needed. Architecture and Landscaping Committees are combining efforts to complete more efficiently. Both committees met October 25, 2022 to discuss the 2023 survey strategy. Court Captains will help with communicating with their Court. We have revised the survey form to a possible hand out form to all current and new owners so they know what to expect every year, to keep up on repairs and no surprises. The requested repairs completion date is October 31, 2023. The Architecture and Landscaping committees will be working on updating and beautification. Both committees will be looking into possible ways Wellington Greens architecture and landscaping can be updated and modernized and beautified. We will be looking for ideas such as different paint color schemes for courts, different types of garage doors and adding beautifying landscaping in courts and common area. I am the person that you see walking the St. Bernard. I want to remind everyone to get permission before you make changes.
Social Committee – Lon Dyer
2022 offered the Social Committee server unusual occasio0ns to celebrate. For the first time in 50 years, we were able to celebrate a retirement and a significant hire. We set up decorations, posted notices in each court and provided refreshments for Dan Riner’s retirement ceremony and set up decorations, posted notices in each court and provided refreshments for Nick Horvath’s welcome to Wellington Greens party. We were able to organize and continue the tradition of the Goodwill Community Challenge Garage sale. Wellington Greens donated over 20 tons of used items, which was good for 3rd place and $150 prize. In 2023 we intend to expand the reach of the social committee by trying some new functions. Anyone wanting to be a part of the committee or have any ideas for the committee is appreciated. We are looking into starting a poker night.
Long Range Planning – Vaughn Carter
Vaughn said that the 2033 Vision plan was the presentation that Dr. Tang and his students presented. He said the Board would discuss what Dr. Tang and his students have suggested and take it into consideration in our Long Rand Planning.
President Siedhoff said that some residents are receiving their HOA dues invoice by email and that saves the Association lots of money. She asked the residents that are still receiving their dues via US mail to let Don know their email address so they can be added to the list.
Question and answer session.
President Siedhoff thanked Carol Conway and Jim Wharry for their service on the Board and presented them with plaques and a gift card.
Election results were announced by President Siedhoff. Mike Behne and Burke Morrow are the new members of the board.
President Siedhoff said the dues invoices will be sent out by email instead of US mail starting January, 2023 and to give Don your email address if you had not already done so.
President Siedhoff thanked the volunteers that worked today. Annie Votipka, Bob and Dotti Shapiro and Steve and Tracy Buchanan for helping with registration and Shirley Schafer and Phyllis Mueller for helping with the vote counting.
Jim Warry moved that we adjourn. The motion was seconded by Vaughn Carter. Motion carried
President Siedhoff declared the meeting adjourned at 3:30 p.m.
Respectively submitted: W. Don McIntyre Administrative Assistant
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Approved Annual Membership Meeting Minutes Wellington Greens Home Owners Association
October 31, 2021
Board Members Present: Linda Siedhoff, president, Dick Vautravers and Jim Wharry, Treasurer, Carol Conway, Secretary, and Vaughn Carter.
Approved absences: Tammy Hanel
Staff: Don McIntyre, Administrative Assistant
The meeting was called to order at 2:01 p.m. by President Siedhoff with 33 members present.
President Siedhoff acknowledged the residents in attendance and asked new residents to please stand and she acknowledged them. She asked that all residents that have lived in Wellington Greens over 20 years to stand, asked for those over 25 years and those over 30 years. She introduced the Board members in attendance and explained that Tammy Hanel had a death in her family.
President Siedhoff asked for approval of the 2020 Annual Meeting Minutes. A motion was made by Vaughn Carter and seconded by Jim Wharry that they be approved. The motion carried.
President Siedhoff asked Dick Vautravers to introduced the candidates up for election to the Board of Directors and have them make their presentation to the group. The candidates were Mike Beaver, Lon Dyer, Barb McCuen and George Wolcott.
The Candidates made their presentations.
President Siedhoff 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 – Linda Siedhoff
It has been a great year at Wellington Greens. Thank you to our board who does a great job of keeping Wellington Greens going. A big thanks to Don McIntyre who keeps us all in line and everything from creating our newsletter to working on the website, to sending correspondence. I also want to thank Dan Riner and his crew, Ryan and Eric for keeping our campus looking great. I also want to thank all the residents who have served on the committees this year and hope they will continue to do so. Thanks, too to all the helpers today who helped get this meeting set up.
Our focus this year has been to continue keeping Wellington Greens a great place to live. We have addressed immediate needs of the Association and our residents and hopefully solved many issues. We have started a 10-year plan committee of which we will be working on further this next year. As most of you know, we are losing Dan to retirement March 31 and are in the process of finding a replacement for him. He has given us 50 years of service and he will be hard to replace. As you will see in the financial report, we are financially stable and much to some resident’s concern, we have raised the dues by $15. This is barely in line with inflation. We are now 52 years old and utilities and concrete especially will need some work. We also have old, dying trees that will need to be replaced; therefore, new trees will be planted.
This year we have finished the 1st phase of our 3-phases of concrete replacement. We have also purchased a new tractor for the ground crew and made several bylaw changes in hopes of overall improving Wellington Greens.
Wellington Greens is a wonderful place to live and by keeping necessary repairs and updates current, it will continue to be a place where everyone wants to live. We have requests all the time from people wanting to move here.
Treasurer Report – Jim Wharry
A quick review of the statement of position and operating results shows that the cash went down by $44,333.
We purchased a new tractor for almost $62K ($61,647). We had an operating loss of 105K, 55K more than budgeted. Our concrete was $141,000 or $75 over the budget, which was offset by getting a five-year 4% loan in the amount of $100,000. The loan will cost us around $11,000 over five years. The balance at year end, September 30th was $91,423. Without the loan we never would have been able to do the concrete work. Also, we collected $22,000 in greens fees more than what we budgeted. Overall, it was not a bad year.
The finance committee was kept fairly busy this year. We started out by researching and setting up a lock-box arrangement with our bank. It was the easiest and probably the most economical way of establishing internal controls over our dues collection process. The lock-box costs us around $200 per month and saves us $300 per month in accounting fees. We found the bank’s computer systems were compatible with our accounting system, so it was a fairly easy transition. We implemented the arrangement on March 1 of this last year and it has operated smoothly so far.
We discussed the possibility of having two signatures on checks over $5,000 but found this is not part of the banking policy. In lieu of that, we have decided that any check over the $5,000 would be signed by someone other than the writer of the check.
At our July meeting, we decided we should ask for dues increase to $175 per month per unit effective October 1, the beginning of our new year.
We reviewed the financial statements and projected the results through the end of the year. This is the first dues increase in four years, over which our cost of living has gone up almost 11%. This increase of $15 represents less than a 9.375% increase.
We also are establishing a capital improvement reserve fund at the rate of $10 per month per unit. This will set aside $2,770 per month for future upgrades, improvements and unexpected or unforeseen emergencies. We have set up a money market account and have funded it with $2,770 for this month and also set up an automatic transfer each month for $2,770 to go into the account.
Part of our budget for this coming year includes the purchase of a new truck to replace the one that is 15 years old. Also, we budgeted to set aside $1,855 per month to pay off the concrete bank loan and we budgeted $25,000 for concrete work in the coming fiscal year.
Golf Report – Carol Conway
2020 was a record year for non-resident members. But in 2021, we beat last year’s record. Last year we had 134 memberships and this year we have a total of 169 non-resident memberships. And that amount usually goes up during the fall. I usually sell 1 or 2 memberships around Christmas time as gifts.
The income for the year is $51,605 which is over $17,000 up from last year. We are increasing the dues for the non-resident members for next year. So, I anticipate that the number of memberships will probably go down.
I had one member of the Monday night ladies’ league tell me that she recently played at Pine Lake. And she said our course in is much better shape…especially the greens! That’s always nice to hear!
The Golf Committee was instrumental in getting a new picnic table for the clubhouse. I want to thank Greg Hanel, Judy Dyer and Mike Beaver for being a part of that committee. The new table is a nice addition to our clubhouse.
The guest fees will remain at $8 per day per person. I want to remind everyone once again that anyone not living in your household is a guest and therefore, is subject to the guest fee. This includes grandchildren unless you are interested in buying a grandparent pass for $75 a year, which is a slight increase.
I also want to remind everyone to please sign in when you play. It helps myself and Dan monitor the golf course for intruders.
If anyone is new to Wellington Greens, you must contact me for a golf tag. The yearly sticker you receive is not your golf tag.
Thank you for your time and thanks for being here.
Landscape – Carol Conway
The Landscape Committee did another walk around this year and sent out another 60 or so letters. The response this year was not positive. Some phone calls resulted in additional letters being sent. I want to thank Judy Dyer, JoAnn Trumper and Mona Way for being a part of that committee.
Some of you may have noticed some very tiny trees planted around the campus. Dan was able to purchase 50 trees this spring from NRD. These are a mixture of serviceberry and blue spruce.
We had two residents pick up free trees on Arbor Day this past spring. Those were two serviceberry and one red oak per Dan’s suggestions. I will try to do a better job of informing residents when this happens again as it’s a great way to get new trees.
There were several specific trees planted around the campus. A redbud at Tiffany, a swamp white oak at Kimberly, eight Regal Prince Oaks around #4 green and a Chinkpin Oak at Ramsgate.
Several residents had trees planted with Dan’s permission. Those were a Profusion Crab which I had planted behind our unit. Our neighbor had a Japanese Maple planted at the corner of their house. A couple of residents had a late blooming Magnolia planted at Wellington Court and a white oak was planted at Briar Glynn.
Once again, I will remind residents that you are always able to plant a tree at your expense. Of course, this should be done with the approval of the landscape committee and Dan Riner or his successor. If you wish to purchase a tree to be planted around your unit, please contact me and we will get the process started.
We have 28 ash trees remaining. Several ash trees were cut down recently but some were a danger to the surrounding buildings and one was at the request of the resident living next to it.
Dan was told that all the ash trees in Ashland have died or are dying. This is well ahead of the previously estimated timeline.
If you have an issue with a neighbor’s landscaping or have a request or a concern, please contact me and I will see what I can do about it.
I also want to thank Tammy Hanel for being instrumental in getting the beautiful new benches installed along Old Post Road. They are a great addition to our wonderful community!
As always, please leave your outside lights on during a snowstorm to help the grounds crew get their plowing done.
Thank you for being here.
Architecture – Submitted by Tammy Hanel and read by Linda Siedhoff
President Siedhoff said Tammy sent out a total of 128 letters; 17 repairs were done but need to be monitored; 29 repairs to monitor for next year, 62 repairs completed and 20 repairs are in process so that we are down to 20.
Thank you to residents who have made repairs and painted their properties helping to keep Wellington Greens a beautiful place to live. We’re working with homeowners who still need to make repairs in order to adhere to the Wellington Greens bylaws.
Warwick and Canterbury South courts have replaced their shake shingles with asphalt shingles, and they look great!
Paint codes have presented a bit of a problem due to the new paint not matching with the faded-out paint. We are asking residents to get a sample of a paint chip to match when painting their properties.
A reminder that residents need to get approval from the architecture committee before making any changes to their units.
President Siedhoff said that Tammy had done considerable work on rentals and determined that about 12.5% of the household are true renters, some have other family members living in them. She said the Board is considering changing the covenants to limit the number of rentals allowed. She asked for a show of hands of those that think the covenants should be changed.
Court Captains – Linda Siedhoff
The court captains met twice this year in the spring and fall. There was a good turnout at both meetings. They were all given the new bylaws and Use Restrictions to be delivered in their court. They were reminded to update their rosters. A welcome wagon committee is also in the works. We are still short one court captain for Canterbury west. If anyone knows of someone to let me know. We have three new court captains. Carrie Grant in Cambridge, Barry Johnson in Chatham and Elizabeth Sorenson in Bryer Glynn. We will be updating paint codes this next year.
Hospitality – Submitted by Tammy Hanel and read by Linda Siedhoff
It’s been nice to see the community of Wellington Greens sharing life together again through various golf leagues, court get togethers, bridge games, mahjong games, etc.
The benches on Old Post Road are a great addition to Wellington and allow our neighbors to rest and chat with one another while walking the “Wellington Mile”.
Long Range Planning – Vaughn Carter
The 2033 Vision plan has been put on hold for a while, but will gear back up this next spring and summer. We gained a lot of good data from the survey we did. We had over 100 responses which was about 40% of the residents. We got a lot of good ideas. After the holidays we plan to hold focus group meetings and by this time next year to have a plan in place.
As to Dan’s replacement, we have the job posted that has the job description, experience requirements, etc. and that is on the website. We used Indeed and have received 12 or 13 responses. It is open until November 25 and then we will narrow it down and start making phone interviews and then personal final interviews and doing reference checks. We are asking anyone on Dan’s crew that wants to apply to do so. Once we hire someone, they will work with Dan for 60 days.
A resident asked if something was planned for Dan’s retirement and Vaughn said it is being talked about. A resident asked if Dan was in on the hiring process and Vaughn said he was asked to be, but declined.
Concrete – Jim Wharry
Before we did any concrete work this year, we had two surveys done on the campus by Gabel Construction and AJ Donner Construction. Both showed we had about $350,000 to over $430,000 worth of work that needed to be done. We ended choosing AJ Donner, after doing some due diligence and because of the amount he broke it up into three phases for us, with about $140,000 per phase.
This survey included 23 courts and for the first phase we had them work on 13 of the courts plus some work at the club house.
This year we spent $140,900 doing the work. It caused us to have a budget overrun of $75,100. We borrowed $100,000 to pay for it. We are paying back that loan at $1,855 per month, this is a five-year loan at a 4% interest rate. As of the end of the year we are down to $92,989.
You will notice that two park benches were put in along the sidewalk on the north side of Old Post Road between Chatham and Regency courts. Thank you to Tammy Hanel for doing all the heavy lifting on that.
We still have about $290,000 worth of concrete work to do. Planning ahead, we should be able to do another $25,000 per year; and if all goes well, which it never does, we could possibly clean up our concrete work in the next five or six years.
There are a couple of things the contractor needs to clean up, some cracks and some spilled hydraulic fluid that needs to be cleaned off the concrete.
Otherwise, things went fairly well with very few problems.
President Siedhoff said that some residents are receiving their HOA dues invoice by email and that saves the Association lots of money. She asked the residents that are still receiving their dues via US mail to let Don know their email address so they can be added to the list.
President Siedhoff recognized Dick Vautravers and thank him for his many years of service on the Board of Directors. She presented him with a plaque and gift certificate.
Mr. Vautravers said he has served 15 years total that he has been on the Board. He said that no one has been more dedicated to Wellington Greens than Dan. Dick encouraged the residents to be more involved in the Association. He said they have lived here 45 years.
President Siedhoff thanked Tammy Hanel and Steve Imes for their service on the Board
Election results were announced by President Siedhoff. Mike Beaver and Lon Dyer were elected.
President Siedhoff said the dues were raised this year. She said Wellington Greens is 51 years old and water and sewer lines are getting old and we have had some break and that is one of the reasons for the dues increase.
President Siedhoff thanked the volunteers that worked today.
Jim Warry moved that we adjourn. The motion was seconded by Vaughn Carter.
President Siedhoff declared the meeting adjourned at 3:30 p.m.
Respectively submitted: W. Don McIntyre Administrative Assistant
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Approved Annual Membership Meeting Minutes Wellington Greens Home Owners Association
October 25, 2020
Board Members Present: Paul Canny, president, Dick Vautravers, Treasurer, Carol Conway, Secretary, Linda Siedhoff, Jim Wharry and Tammy Hanel.
Approved absences: None
Staff: Don McIntyre
The meeting was called to order at 2:02 p.m. by President Canny with 28 members present.
President Canny acknowledged the residents in attendance and asked new residents to please stand and he acknowledged them. He asked that all residents that have lived in Wellington Greens over twenty years to stand, asked for those over 25 years and those over thirty years. He introduced Board members. He introduced the Administrative Assistant, Don McIntyre
President Canny asked for approval of the 2019 Annual Meeting Minutes. A motion was made by Dick Vautravers and seconded and seconded by Jim Wharry that they be approved. The motion carried.
President Canny introduced the candidates up for election to the Board of Directors and asked them to make their presentation to the group. The candidates were Vaughn Carter, Barb Casey, Linda Siedhoff and David Fries. Mr. Fries was not present at this time.
The Candidates made their presentations.
President Canny 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 – Paul Canny
Welcome to the 2020 Wellington Greens Annual Meeting. One thing I can say for certain…..no one at last year’s Wellington Greens annual meeting predicted that this year’s meeting would include wearing masks and social distancing.
Overall, it has been a very good year for Wellington Greens. Our staff does an excellent job and deserves our thanks. Thanks to Don McIntyre who does everything from maintaining our website to producing the monthly newsletter and numerous other tasks. There have been some major changes; two board members resigned during the year. Jim Davidson resigned from the board and he and his wife moved to the Houston area. Steve Imes resigned for personal reasons. Linda Siedhoff and Tammy Hanel agreed to fill the vacancies and serve on the board. They are terrific additions to the board and have accomplished a lot with the architectural and social committees in a very short time. We thank all the people that have volunteered and served on the architectural, landscape, and finance committees and as court captains this year. Volunteering for Wellington Greens’ committees is a way to help maintain our grounds and to meet other homeowners. I want to thank the four people who are candidates for the board, all of them have the skills and temperament to be a great addition to the board. Some things that haven’t changed. The maintenance staff always work hard to keep the Wellington Greens common areas and golf course in excellent condition. A big “thank you” to Dan, Eric, and Ryan. The grounds look great despite a number of damaging wind storms and periods of time with very little rain. The golf course, especially the greens, is in excellent condition. Speaking of the golf course, this year Wellington Greens has the highest number of non-resident golf memberships it has ever had, thanks to the efforts of board member Carol Conway and the golf committee. A big Thank you to the individuals who give of their time and energy to serve on the Wellington Board. The Board maintains focused on three different items; the immediate needs of the association, the longer-term needs, and the financial stability of the association. On this last item, the board has decided there will not be an increase in monthly dues for the up-coming year. The board works hard to address the immediate needs of the Association, working with the staff to keep the grounds and the courts in good shape and working with homeowners to comply with the rules of the association in areas like architectural and landscape maintenance. At the same time the Board focuses on the future; what are the big issues the association will likely face and develop a plan to address them. Some examples of the longer-term issues the board has addressed in the past are the funding and construction of a new maintenance building, the renovation of the clubhouse and development of a multi-year plan to address the ash borer infestation. Each of these issues required the board to develop plans, timelines, and funding to address the issues. This year the major expenditures will be for maintenance equipment so that we have the equipment necessary to clear snow this winter. As we look forward toward the next few years, we know that dealing with concrete issues will be high on the agenda. Board member Jim Wharry has brought together a committee that is looking at all of the courts and will make recommendations to the board this winter as we develop a long-term strategy to meet the needs for concrete replacement.
Wellington Greens is a outstanding place to live. Whenever I tell people I live in Wellington Greens they respond with comments about how beautiful it is. I recently read some research results that seniors who lived near green spaces live longer than those who didn’t. That’s just another reason I am thankful to live in Wellington Greens. Personally, it has been a privilege being part of the Board and working with home owners and committees the last few years, working with people who are willing, without personal agendas, who give their time and energy to keep Wellington Greens an outstanding place to live.
Next, we will hear from individual board members and after that residents will have the opportunity to address the board. Residents who want to speak will be limited to three minutes.
Treasurer Report – Dick Vautravers
My name is Dick Vautravers, and I am a member of the Board and Treasurer for the Wellington Greens Homes Association. I am going to report on the Financial Statements from Watts and Hershberger that are available by the back door. If you don’t have a copy, you may pick one up now at the back.
The Fiscal Year for our Association runs from October 1 through September 30. The Financials that you have in front of you compare the results for the years ending September 30, 2019 and September 30, 2020. Our financial records are maintained by Barb Geiger at Professional Accounting Services, our contracted accounting service. The Compilation is prepared by our independent public accountant Watts and Hershberger. Barb and Jim Watts are both CPA’s.
Our Association is over 50 years old. Dan Riner, who authorizes (and spends) most of our expenses, has been at Wellington Greens for 48 years, most of the time as Head Groundskeeper. This is my second term as Treasurer. We’ve used Professional Accounting Services since 2011 and Watts and Hershberger have done our Compilations for over 20 years. Our financial results are and have been very stable and predictable.
Let me go through some of the highlights from the Compilation. If you were the shareholders of a corporation and I was giving these results, you would be very pleased. We had revenues in excess of expenses by about the same margin as last year, and our cash position has improved significantly. However, we didn’t plan to have this much margin this year.
Starting on page 2, let me give you the highlights:
- Our cash increased by about $73,000, which about equaled the excess of revenues over expenses. Our member assessments receivable decreased from about $30,000 to about $16,000, as we had several large balances cleared.
- Page 3 shows revenue exceeded expenses by $73,476. We had budgeted a breakeven year but did not spend according to plan. Golf fees were at probably the all-time high of $34,485, as the course was much-used during this Covid year. Expenses were lower than planned, primarily in spending on buildings and grounds. We spent only $4,200 of a budgeted $25,000 on concrete. We had not done a thorough review of concrete for several years, and we weren’t ready to pull the trigger by mid-summer when the best season for work was finishing. We prefer to do the work earlier in the summer so the concrete can cure before we spread sand or salt during the winter. As Jim Wharry will report later, we have now done our plan, are getting bids and will be working next year. We are carrying the remaining $20,000 over and have a total of $65,000 into next year’s concrete budget. The rest of our expenditures were generally less than planned as we had fewer equipment repairs, infrastructure repairs and storm damage in the common area.
- Page 5 shows that the increase in cash just about equals the excess of revenues over expenses. The additions to equipment (tractor and spreader) just about equaled the depreciation plus the added cash from the decrease in receivables.
Our budget for next year assumes we will have expenses in excess of revenues of about $45,000, due mainly to the increase in concrete spending. We also plan the purchase of additional equipment totaling about $50,000, as Jim Wharry will report on later. So, we will be spending the accumulated cash down. But the budget also assumes no increase in dues, which we assume makes you, our shareholders, happy. The major hurdle on the horizon continues to be concrete. So, we will continue to look at whether or not we can maintain our dues at the current level next October 1.
I want to thank our Finance Committee, which consists of board members Jim Wharry and Carol Conway, as well as residents Bob Shapiro and Velda Menard. We had email discussions in April, held a Zoom session in July to draft a preliminary budget and met again this month to talk about accounting procedures and controls.
I will be happy to answer any questions during the Resident Question and Answer later this afternoon.
Golf Report – Carol Conway
Well, this has been a very strange year for everyone but it has also been a banner year for our little golf course. The golf course has been a great place for people to get out for fresh air, social distance and have a great time.
We had a record number of non-resident members and a record income from the course. There are 75 family memberships, 44 single, 6 youth and 9 grandparents…. for a total of 134 memberships. The income for the year is $34,485 which is over $6700 up from last year.
This summer, we got a women’s league started on Monday evenings and it has been a huge success. We had anywhere from 4 to 14 people show up every week. The only thing we played for was the fun and camaraderie.
I want to remind everyone once again that anyone not living in your household is a guest and therefore, is subject to the guest fee which remains at $8 a day per person. This includes grandchildren unless you are interested in buying a grandparent pass for $50 a year. We have done this with our own grandchildren and it’s definitely worth it.
Also, I consistently see people playing without shoes on and this is not acceptable. We require that shoes are worn on the course and this is for your safety.
If anyone is new to Wellington Greens, you must contact me for a golf tag.
Thank you for your time and thanks for being here.
Landscape – Carol Conway
In 2020, the Landscape Committee did a walk around and sent out approximately 60 letters regarding weeds and trees. For the most part, the response was very positive. I want to thank Paul Canny, Judy Dyer and Tammy Hanel for being a part of that committee. Their input was invaluable.
The residents of San Simeon at 7221 South St are working together with Campbell’s Nursery to spruce up the entrance to their court. I looking forward to seeing the finished product next spring.
We have removed 13 ash trees during the past year. There are 34 remaining. 8 ash trees are scheduled to be removed this fall.
There were 23 other tree removals both in house and commercially. However, no new trees have been planted and since we are in a drought, there will be no trees planted until next year.
There have been several storms this year that have caused removal of trees. Once again, I will remind residents that you are always able to plant a tree at your expense. We had a redbud tree removed from outside our back patio. That tree was one of the reasons we purchased our home. But it has been slowly dying over the last few years. This year a storm brought most of it down so it had to be removed. Our plan is to purchase a flowering tree to replace it. Of course, this is done with the approval of the landscape committee and Dan Riner. If you wish to purchase a tree to be planted around your unit, please contact me and we will get the process started.
There were 12 shrubs removed for residents. If you have a shrub that needs to be pulled, please contact either myself or Dan Riner and the guys will take care of that. They removed 2 for me this year.
There are 4 sites on the commons ground that are no longer being maintained by residents. Three of those sites were planted by former residents and the current residents asked for it to be put back to grass.
If you have an issue with a neighbor’s landscaping or have a request or a concern, please contact me and I will see what I can do about it.
As always, please leave your outside lights on during a snowstorm to help the grounds crew get their plowing done.
Thank you for being here.
Architecture – Linda Siedhoff
The committee viewed all 277 residential homes this year looking and any that needed any kind of repair, replacement or painting. We sent out approximately 108 letters to homeowners asking for them to repair as needed. Many are working on that or have completed necessary repairs. We will be doing follow-up on this in November as all repairs were to be completed by October 31. The campus is looking really good and will continue to do so. Respectfully submitted, Linda Siedhoff. Chairman
Court Captains – Linda Siedhoff
We have completed finding a court captain for every court and find it very useful to contact them. We held our first court captain meeting in October this year and it was attended by 12 court captains. We have 20 courts. I was very encouraged by their enthusiasm and they agreed to have a meeting every spring and fall. Respectfully submitted, Linda Siedhoff, Chairman.
Hospitality – Tammy Hanel
There is not much to report on for hospitality for 2020. We are hoping for a better 2021. We are putting together a list of contractors, painters, plumbers, electricians and handymen to put on the web site to assist residents. So, if you have a contractor that you really love, email their contact information to me.
Long Range Planning – Jim Wharry
We had a meeting in January and then the virus hit. The main items discussed were equipment replacement. We need to replace a tractor and that will cost $50,000 plus. Dan is getting bids on that. Next, we need to replace a pickup, we have a 1999 and that is going to cost $34,000 to $35,000. Dan has a tree removal schedule set up. We also have clubhouse renovation; we would like to update the kitchen and basement. Other items mentioned which we call a wish list, were benches along the sidewalks so people could sit down on their walks and maybe an association directory and I don’t think this would cost anything, churches all have directories. We need to do succession planning; Dan has been here forty plus years and is going to retire sooner or later, we hope later. Those will be big shoes to fill
Concrete – Jim Wharry
The concrete committee met in June and that consists of Ned Hedges, Dotti Shapiro, Bob Webb and I. We looked at structural problems that Dan pointed out in some courts that need fixing. We had a report from a 2014 concrete survey and we checked to see what was done and found that most of it was fixed, at least the major items. Some smaller items were not. We set up two concrete contractors, Gabel Construction and The Concrete Doctor to give us surveys. We had three, Epps Concrete dropped out saying it was too much, that we needed paving contractors. One survey is completed by Gabel Construction; they came in and said approximately 34,500 square feet needed replacement at a cost of $9 to $10 a square foot and that would be a total of $300,000 to $350,000. This would be spread out long term. The Concrete doctor will give us a bid in November, early December. We have $65,400 in the budget next year for concrete. We will compare the two surveys and set priorities on what has to be done first. Dan and Bob know much more about concrete that I do.
We talked about the board instituting a concrete cost sharing program for drive way replacement. Right now, we do not know if there will be money for that and it has been put on hold until we can complete the surveys and set our priorities. We do not feel we can start a program such as this unless and until we can support it. Be patient, hopefully we can implement it as soon as we find the funds.
President Canny said that David Fries was present now and asked him to make his presentation.
Mr. Fries made his presentation.
Residents’ questions to the Board members were taken. Discussion was had about “for rent” and “for sale” signs on common property and Don was instructed to put that of the agenda for the next board meeting.
Election results were announced by President Canny. Linda Siedhoff and Vaughn Carter were elected.
President Canny thanked the volunteers that worked today.
Treasurer Vautravers presented an award to Paul Canny for his many years of service on the Board of Directors.
President Canny declared the meeting adjourned at 3:18 p.m.
Respectively submitted: W. Don McIntyre Administrative Assistant
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Approved Annual Membership Meeting Minutes
Wellington Greens Home Owners Association
November 3, 2019
Board Members Present: Jim Davidson, president, Paul Canny, vice-president, Dick Vautravers, Treasurer, Carol Conway, Secretary and Bill Rice.
Approved absences: Steve Imes.
Staff: Don McIntyre
The meeting was called to order at 2:03 p.m. by President Davidson.
President Davidson acknowledged the residents in attendance and asked new residents to please stand and acknowledged them. He asked for all court captains to stand. He asked that all residents that have lived in Wellington Greens over twenty years to stand, asked for those over 25 years and those over thirty years. He introduced Board members Dick Vautravers, Carol Conway, Paul Canny and Bill Rice. He introduced the Administrative Assistant Don McIntyre
President Davidson asked for approval of the 2018 Annual Meeting Minutes. A motion was made by Ned Hedges and seconded and seconded by Jim Wharry 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 made their presentations.
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
The year 2018 has proved to be a good year for Wellington Greens. We have been blessed with an abundance of rain, the campus looks great, and we look for better things ahead.
A special thanks once again to Dan and his crew at the Maintenance Building. They take their work seriously and do an excellent job. They arrive early in the morning and put in an honest day’s work day after day.
Their snow removal process is an arduous task. They have 20 courts to clear, 277 driveways and 2 ½ miles of sidewalk. So, if it appears on a big snow day that they are not and about, believe me they are. Enjoy a hot chocolate, keep your outside lights on which help the men, and be patient.
Our board continues to be a delight to work with month after month. Our meetings are at the clubhouse, third Tuesday of the month at 7:00 PM. You are welcome and encouraged to attend.
Dues will not be raised for the coming year. I regularly receive calls from other associations here and Omaha to inquire why WGHA is run so well. The reason is you! We are a village unto ourselves, and by and by overall we work well together. The dues structure with what it provides is a steal when compared to other Presidents I have visited. I am grateful.
Our finances in a word are in good shape. Thanks to each and every member who spend their time on the board. They are a delight for me to interact with. If I may be of service, you only need to ask.
Treasurer Report – Dick Vautravers
The Fiscal Year for our Association runs from October 1 through September 30. The Financials that you have in front of you are for the years ended September 30, 2019 and 2018. The financial information is prepared monthly by Barb Geiger at Professional Accounting Services, our contracted accounting service. The compilation that you have in front of you is prepared by our independent public accountant Watts and Hershberger. Barb and Jim Watts are both CPA’s.
Jim Watts indicated to me that he is very comfortable with the controls and procedures that we have in place, and did not make any adjustments to the financial statements that he received from Barb Geiger. He said we have good internal controls and that the accounting records are in excellent shape. He did not have to make any adjusting entries to the information he received from our accountant. He said it was “one of the best financial reports he’s seen in his years of working with non-profit organizations”.
Our Association is over 50 years old. Dan Riner, who authorizes many of the expenses, has been at Wellington for 47 years, most of the time as the Head Groundskeeper. I’ve had two terms as Board Treasurer. We’ve had the same accounting partners for many years. So our financial results are very stable and very predictable.
Let me just go through a few highlights from the report:
- On page 2, you see that Cash increased slightly to $86,401 at year-end 2019. Property and Equipment increased by $10,397, reflecting some minor completion work on the Club House and the purchase of a hand mower.
- The Note Payable Liability for the Maintenance Building is not present on this year’s balance sheet. We were able to not only make the monthly payments, but also were able to pay the balloon payment on September 15, 2019 of slightly over $50,000. This means we were able to off a new $300,000 maintenance building in five years. This is something the board is proud of, and we think you should be too.
- Page 3 is the Statement of Revenue and Expenses, or Income Statement. The bottom-line Revenue in excess of expenses shows a positive $74,001. We generally managed our expenses within budget, did no concrete work and had good fortune with no major wind storms.
- While Page 3 shows we had Revenue in Excess of Expenses of $74,001, the Statement of Cash Flows on Page 5 shows why we only added $4,000 to Cash on hand. The statement shows that in 2018 we had a $78,299 reduction in long-term debt (principal repayments on Note), and had $10,397 additions to property and equipment. These two items do not flow through the Statement of Revenues and Expenses, except through monthly depreciation, as we use accrual accounting. We have delayed some equipment purchases and concrete work over the past several years. In addition to the hand mower mentioned earlier, we purchased two weeks ago a new toro mower for approximately $30,000. Our budget for this fiscal year does include $25,000 for concrete repair, as well as $15,000 for ash tree removal and tree replacement. We freed up $2,800 per month by paying off the note on the maintenance building.
We had a question raised at our last annual meeting about internal controls and checks and balances within our association financial work. We have done several things in the past year to answer that question. In the February 2019 newsletter, we printed out a detailed description of our financial record-keeping system and how duties are segregated within the association. We have also had three meetings of the Finance Committee this year. Members of the Finance Committee include myself, Carol Conway, Velda Menard and Jim Wharry. Velda and Jim are not board members, so we have association residents helping review our records. Velda retired from a career in banking, and Jim is a retired CPA. In April the committee met to review the six-month financials, our accounting records and to discuss our controls. One suggestion that came out of this meeting was that all of the deposits are handled by our external accounting firm. It was suggested we might want to review the accounts receivables to make ourselves comfortable with the process. In July, we met to prepare the 2019 budget which was recommended to the board. Early this month we met a third time and reconciled the accounts receivables back to the general ledger. We also reviewed the cash receipts, including prepaid dues and other receivables. No areas of concern were noted in our review.
So, with solid financial results, good words from our external accountant and additional overview by our Finance Committee, we believe you should be very comfortable with the financial condition of the board.
I’d be happy to answer any questions from the members.
Dottie Shapiro asked about the maintenance crew make up and Dick explained the crew makeup and indicated that we added one new full-time member of the crew. Dottie inquired of the salary of crew members and Dick declined to give out that information.
Golf Report – Carol Conway
We have a total of 99 non-resident golf members. Each year we seem to gain a few more and this may be a record number. There are 55 family memberships, 34 single memberships, 8 youth memberships and 2 grandparent memberships.
The golf revenue for the year was $27,740.32 from non-resident memberships, guest fees and leagues. This is up slightly from last year.
We had another league drop out this year and that was the one on Thursday evenings. So currently we have the men’s league on Tuesday. We have 1 morning league and 1 evening league on Wednesday. Those leagues usually run May-August and I usually post the schedule in the newsletter so I encourage all of you to read the newsletter.
The winner of the men’s league this year is Boyd Epley who is a non-resident member.
If you are new to Wellington Greens, please be aware that you need a valid golf tag to play here. If you do not have a golf tag, I am the person you need to contact about that. Also, a golf tag does not mean the yearly sticker that you receive. That sticker is to be placed on your golf tag. Those stickers are usually mailed out sometime in March. Our guest fee remains at $8.00 per person per day.
Anyone who lives in your household is allowed to play on your golf tag. This does not include visiting relatives such as grandchildren. We do offer grandparent passes for $50 a year. If you have a grandparent pass, your grandchildren must be of school age and you must be with them when they play. This age goes through high school. If you are interested in a grandparent pass, please contact me.
I also want to remind everyone that all golfers are required to wear shoes on the golf course. This is for your safety.
Also please be sure to sign in at the clubhouse whenever you play. This includes writing down your address.
Every year I get asked to put our little gem into the spring Journal Star Golf magazine and I apologize that every spring something seems to happen that prevents me from doing that. We are very close to our maximum non-resident membership so the board will need to have a discussion about whether we want to increase that maximum. That maximum number came from a previous board.
I get quite a few calls from the membership signs on 70th St and South St. We also get many word-of-mouth referrals.
Thank you for the privilege of being able to work with this beautiful little gem we have here and thank you for your time.
Nanette Hesse asked why our leagues were down and Carol said it is due to lack of leadership within their league, they cannot find anyone to be in charge.
Landscape – Carol Conway
This past year has been a controversial and tumultuous year for both residents and the board.
As most of you know by now, the board has made a decision to remove all of our ash trees rather than treat them because of cost and liability. Several people have objected to that decision.
However, since we cannot take ALL the trees out at once, the board has decided to let courts/residents ‘adopt’ an ash tree. To do that, the residents will need to have a tree ‘deemed’ treatable. I would encourage anyone who wants to do this check to see if you can get a city forester to come out. I believe that any person who is treating trees will give you a biased report because they want your money. The residents will have to arrange this and any costs associated with this will have to be covered by the residents.
We currently have a form to be filled out by residents and approved by the Landscape Chair and the Board. These adoptions will be for a 2-year period. At the end of that 2-year period, the tree will need to be re-evaluated.
We already have residents at 7200 OPR that are adopting 2 or 3 trees. They had a city forester come out and that person did say that 2 of the trees could not be treated so those trees will be coming out. Two other trees could be treated and a 3rd was questionable.
If you wish to know more about this new program, please see me after the meeting. I have copies of the permit.
We also have some residents who have issues with mowing hours. As we all know, the weather sometimes determines the mowing hours. Also the members of the board are not landscape experts. Therefore, we will often defer to Dan Riner’s recommendations. The board tries to resolve these issues to the best of our ability.
I’m pleased to report that the board has decided to continue all mowing as it stands right now. In previous years, we were talking about discontinuing ‘hand’ mowing of private lots. This is no longer the case and mowing will continue as it has in the past.
I encourage everyone who has a concern to contact the board, come to the board meetings and/or come to the annual meeting.
I also encourage you to talk to your neighbors….especially new people in the area…..about attending the annual meetings. It’s important that we have residents attend so they can hopefully understand what this association is about.
Thank you all for being here.
Allen Barber said that they started to cut down trees in his court and he asked them to stop. He said the cost of cutting them down is higher that the cost of treatment. He said he got the numbers to treat the trees and it is $40,000 less to treat than to cut down. He said the city has changed their opinion. He said the chemical is not a nuisance and it has a 99% success rate. He said it is devastating to property values
Architecture – Steve Imes (Read by Paul Canny)
Thank you to those of you who continue to take good care of your townhome. Thank you for the painting, roofing and other exterior repairs.
Thank you to Anna Votipka for her assistance in inspection of numerous townhomes.
When you are maintaining the exteriors of your townhome please keep in mind that paint brands and codes may be outdated and no longer available. There is a difference in paint brands. Windows, fencing, shingles etc… may be outdated and difficult to match. Please contact the Architectural Committee for assistance.
If you have any questions feel free to contact me by email (simes312@gmail.com) or call me at 402-489-5718
Concrete, Long Range Planning and Clubhouse renovation – Bill Rice
Bill said that the clubhouse still needs a modern kitchen and needs to be opened up. He said we could generate revenue by putting solar panels on the south roof of the maintenance building. He said two courts need concrete, Sunbury and San Simeon. He said we should have a state certified person to provide the permits to treat the Ash trees.
Social Committee and Court Captains – Paul Canny
I feel 2019 has been a very positive year for Wellington Greens. We have paid off early the loan that was taken out to build the maintenance building, maintained a high level of care and up-keep of the common areas and the golf course, approved the purchase of some new equipment all the while being financially prudent so that the monthly homeowner fees will remain the same for the next year.
As the vice president of the Board of Directors I performed the duties of the president, like presiding over Board Meetings, while the President of the Board was recovering from surgery.
I was also the Board Member who worked with the Social Committee. The Social Committee consists of six people who met to plan Wellington Greens social events. The committee met to plan upcoming events- trading ideas about the events and helping with work necessary for the event to be successful. We planned and coordinated the annual Wellington Greens Garage Sales. After the garage sale, which many people considered a success, Goodwill Industries collected unsold items. We participated in a community wide program run by Goodwill and Wellington Greens received $300 due to the amount of items donated my our homeowners. The social committee planned a number of other activities throughout the year, including two new events. One event was a presentation on exercise and health opportunities sponsored by community groups. That program was not very popular and attracted very few people. Another new activity sponsored by the Social Committee was the tailgate party in September before a Husker Football game. That event was popular and the clubhouse was very crowded. The next up-coming event will be the Wellington Greens Annual Boutique which will be held on December 7. Last year the Clubhouse was packed with people selling and buying boutique items. The Social Committee also encouraged individual courts to have picnics or pot-lucks to foster friendships and communication among court members. Another part of my role with the social committee is to stay in contact with Court Captains who relay information about Wellington Greens activities and information with the homeowners in their court. I did not do a very good job of communicating with court captains last year. The role of a court captain is pretty easy, they are asked to relay information about Wellington Greens events to the other members of their court. There are sign-up sheets for people to volunteer to be a court captain out in the hall.
The social committee is only one of the committees designated by the Wellington Greens Board. The other committees we presently have are; Architectural, Finance, Landscape, Concrete and Golf. Out in the corridor there is general information about Committees from page 3 of the Wellington Greens Green Handbook and signup sheets for people who would like to be on a committee. Further information about specific committees is contained on pages 4 and 5 of the Green Handbook. After the results of today’s election of Board Members, the Board will discuss which Board Members will be selected to lead each committee and then those board members will designate members of the committees. Please consider being a court captain or a committee member, it’s a great way to help Wellington Greens while not time consuming.
More residents’ questions to the Board members were taken.
Election results were announced by Jim Davidson. Jim Wharry and Carol Conway were elected to the Board of Directors.
The drawing for the door prizes was next and Phillis Mueller, Mary Vesely, Linda Siedhoff and Dianne Brenden won $25 gift certificates and Eola Hedges and Elizabeth Woody won $50 certificates.
President Davidson thanked the volunteers that worked today. He reminded everyone of Bridge and Pitch in the clubhouse.
President Davidson declared the meeting adjourned at 3:33 p.m.
Respectively submitted:
W. Don McIntyre Administrative Assistant
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Approved Annual Membership Meeting Minutes Wellington Greens Home Owners Association
October 28, 2018
Board Members Present: Jim Davidson, president, Paul Canny, vice-president, Dick Vautravers, Treasurer, Carol Conway, Secretary, Bill Rice and Steve Imes.
Staff: Don McIntyre
The meeting was called to order at 2:05 p.m. by President Davidson.
President Davidson acknowledged the residents in attendance and asked new residents to please stand and acknowledged them. He asked that all residents that have lived in Wellington Greens over twenty years to stand and seven stood, asked for those over 25 years and four stood and those over thirty years and 2 stood. He introduced Board members Dick Vautravers, Carol Conway, Paul Canny, Steve Imes and Bill Rice. He introduced the Administrative Assistant Don McIntyre
President Davidson asked for approval of the 2017 Annual Meeting Minutes. A motion was made by Ned Hedges and seconded and seconded by Jim Wharry 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 made their presentations. President Davidson read Mr. Barber’s bio as he had just had a knee operation) and took questions.
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 has been a productive year for the association. We have repainted the outside of the clubhouse, repainted the inside and put in an American for Disabilities compliant restroom on the main floor. We have ended the year well financially, and I am blessed with a tremendous board of individuals that give sacrificially of their time for the Association. We lost several people this past year in Wellington Greens and our sincerest condolences go to each of the family members. Dues are not going to be raised this year. We plan to do a slower continuation of updating the kitchen in the clubhouse. Dan Riner and his crew do a tremendous job on the facilities and the campus looks great. Thought for the day: What do the following towns in Nebraska have in common with Wellington Greens? Bassett, Arnold, Overton, Firth, Dorchester, Greenwood, Palmyra, Paxton, Valparaiso, Adams and Beaver City or Elmwood? They each have the same population base as we do at Wellington. So, the job this Board does, and the job the maintenance staff does is second to none. Nebraska won the game last week and we are encouraged! We stand ready and committed to keep the property values growing, the landscape great, and the experiences here at Wellington warm and inviting.
Treasurer Report – Dick Vautravers
My name is Dick Vautravers, and I am a member of the Board and Treasurer for the Wellington Greens Homes Association. Did all of you pick up a copy of the Financial Statements that were at the door? If not, raise your hand and we’ll see that you receive one.
The Fiscal Year for our Association is October 1 through September 30. The Financials that you have in front of you are for the years ended September 30, 2018 and 2017. The financial information is prepared monthly by Barb Geiger at Professional Accounting Services. Barb had worked with, and took over for, Stan Martin, who moved from Wellington Greens to Houston, Texas, recently. The compilation that you have in front of you is prepared by our independent public accountant Watts and Hershberger. Barb, Stan and Jim Watts are CPA’s.
Jim Watts indicated to me that he is very comfortable with the controls and procedures that we have in place, and did not make any adjustments to the financial statements that he received from Barb Geiger.
Our Association is over 50 years old. Dan Riner, who authorizes many of the expenses, has been at Wellington for 46 years, most of the time as the Head Groundskeeper. I’ve had two terms as Board Treasurer. We’ve had the same accounting partners for many years. So, our financial results are very stable and very predictable. There’s perhaps something to be said for chaos, but I find stability very comforting.
Let me just go through a few highlights from the report:
- On page 2, you see that Cash increased slightly to $82,480 at year-end 2018. Property and Equipment increased by $26,000, reflecting the work on the Club House that you will hear about from another board member. The Note Payable Liability for the Maintenance Building was reduced by nearly $30,000 in principal repayments.
- Page 3 is the Statement of Revenue and Expenses, or Income Statement. Our Assessments went up by $32,000, reflecting the dues increase implemented on October 1, 2018. We used $23,800 of that increase to pay for Concrete Repair. Otherwise the dues increase helped pay down our Note and pay for the Clubhouse Renovation.
- While Page 3 shows we had Revenue in Excess of Expenses of $34,603, the Statement of Cash Flows on Page 5 shows why we only added $3,000 to Cash on hand. The statement shows that in 2018 we had a $29,020 reduction in long-term debt (principal repayments on Note), and had $26,020 used for the Clubhouse renovation. These two items do not flow through the Statement of Revenues and Expenses, except for monthly depreciation, as we use accrual accounting. Cash on hand, however, is the most important factor that we manage to.
We have several issues to deal with in the next several years. Our Note has a balloon payment due on September 15, 2019, of $50,302. We anticipate taking out a new loan for the same approximate monthly payments that will require less than two years to pay off. The interest rate will probably increase slightly over the current 4.5%. We also have some equipment needs (truck and mower), and will have to continue removing ash trees. We should be able to manage these activities within our current dues structure, although we’ll have to manage our cash position carefully. By paying off the mortgage 2 years from now will free up $33,600 per year to be used for capital expenditures that we have been deferring.
Dick ask if there were any questions. Katie Pocras ask if there were any check and balances as far as the treasury; that most boards and business had many in place. Dick explained that our accountant collects all dues and makes the deposits and her records are audited by our CPA. That Dan Riner approves bills that are received and I pay those. Dick felt that it was not necessary to have two check signers for some or all checks. We have a finance committee that determines the budget and then it is approved by the board. Dick said he would look into our accounting system to see if there are ways it could be improved.
Concrete – No Report
Landscape – Carol Conway
First of all, I want to say that it has been a pleasure to work with this board. We get a lot of work done, but we also enjoy ourselves, thanks to our fearless leader.
I also want to commend Dan Riner and his crew for the job they do every day. There is a lot of work to do around here and they somehow get it done. There was no tree event like we had last year. We have five or six Silver Maples that need to come down. There are nine Ash trees in Brian Glenn that will have to be taken out. Our plan is to take ten to fifteen out per year. The Tom Johnson tree fund is at $1295 and six to eight trees will be planted with those funds. There is a box in front of the clubhouse that contains work order forms. If you need something done around your unit that is the association’s responsibility, please fill out one of these forms. There is another box out front where you can put completed forms. The crew might not get to your request right away, but please be patient because they will eventually get to it.
Now, on to snow! Unfortunately, it’s coming. The crew can start about 3 am unless there is wind involved. If the snow is very heavy, they will make one pass through each court so people can get out if they need to. We appreciate patience considering the number of courts they have to clear.
I encourage all of you to thank Dan and his crew. I frequently walk in the mornings and take every opportunity I get to tell the crew what a great job they are doing. Thanks for your time.
Golf – Carol Conway
We brought in $26,954 this past year in golf through non-resident memberships and guest fees. We have lost one of our golf leagues.
Architectural – Steve Imes
Steve thanked the Board for their time, experience and expertise. He said he had lived in Wellington Greens for 18 years. He said this is his second time around on the Board and that his wife Lana is a court captain. He thanked the residents for their cooperation in complying with request to make repairs to their properties. He said there have been some disagreements but usually everything got resolved. Steve said he sent 86 letters to residents about painting, rotting wood and other issues. He said sometimes it takes two years to get everything accomplished. He said that many times the neighbor will call and report an issue and he will go look at and visit with the occupant. He encouraged everyone to be good neighbors and visit with your neighbors. He said he is working on updating the paint codes. Katie Pocras said she questioned the time line for getting repairs done; that it should be a shorter time. Dick said the big problem is rentals and getting the owners to take care of their property.
Social Committee and Court Captains – Paul Canny
Paul thanked the other Board members and said it was a pleasure working with them. He said the Social Committee will be having a Holiday Boutique next Saturday from nine to three.
Long-Range Planning and Clubhouse renovation: – Paul Canny and Bill Rice
Paul said the clubhouse has a new roof gutters and down spouts; that rotting wood on the deck was replaced. Pat Wharry said she had praise for the Board and what has been done with the clubhouse, but that the door opened the wrong way; that it should open out. Paul said he thought that had to do with the concrete. Bill said they had to get five different permits to remodel the clubhouse and make the bathroom ADA compliant. He said we replaced a 32-inch door with a 42-inch door and that he will reinvestigate the door. Paul said the kitchen need to be updated and we are awaiting funds in the treasurer. Bill said that he was investigating putting solar panels on the maintenance building; that there is room for 68 panels. That we would receive a rebate from LES. He said he was also looking into solar lighting for the court yard lamps; that we have 22 courts and LES charges around $30 per court for an administration fee.
More residents’ questions to the Board members were taken.
Election results were announced by Jim Davidson. Dick Vautravers and Steve Imes 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.
President Davidson declared the meeting adjourned at 3:20 p.m.
Respectively submitted: W. Don McIntyre, Administrative Assistant
APPROVED Annual Membership Meeting Unapproved Minutes Wellington Greens Home Owners Association
October 29, 2017
Board Members Present: Jim Davidson, president, Tom Johnson, vice-president, Dick Vautravers, Treasurer, Carol Conway, Paul Canny and Steve Imes.
Staff: Don McIntyre
The meeting was called to order at 2:00 p.m. by President Davidson.
President Davidson acknowledged the residents in attendance and asked new residents to please stand and acknowledged them. He introduced Board members Tom Johnson, Dick Vautravers, Carol Conway, Paul Cany, Steve Imes and Administrative Assistant Don McIntyre
President Davidson asked for approval of the 2016 Annual Meeting Minutes. A motion was made by Annie Votipka and seconded by Ned Hedges 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. Dick Vautravers had them draw lots for the order of speeches. The candidates to be elected are Jim Davidson, Lonnie Fuerniss, Tom “TJ” Johnson and Bill Rice.
The Candidates made their presentations and took questions.
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 has been a good and a tough year. We have the campus looking well thanks to ample rainfall all season. We endured a storm earlier that is on par with the October storm of twenty years ago that hit Lincoln. Our maintenance crew did an outstanding job in dealing with the debris, and did it quickly.
The roof is replaced, and new gutters are up on the clubhouse. I think it looks great, and it did not cost a penny out of pocket. The painting of the outside will be done this spring with the advent of warm weather. I believe that the changes are quite positive.
We had a marvelous 50th Anniversary celebration with over 100 in attendance. A big thank you goes out to the social committee in putting this together.
We continue to work on how and what to do to bring the clubhouse up to date. Paul Canny will address that issue shortly.
We raised dues this fall to enable us to operate in a favorable light, and Dick Vautravers does an excellent job with his finance committee in keeping us on the right path as good stewards. Dick also handles the treasurer’s function without pay and he is to be commended for his diligence.
Don McIntyre continues to do an outstanding job as the administrative assistant to the board and is very much appreciated.
TJ Johnson works diligently with the social committee to bring interesting happenings to this wonderful place. He and his committee are greatly appreciated.
Paul Canny works with the property and concrete and has been above and beyond the call of duty in working to develop solid plans for the roof, gutters, outside and the interior of the clubhouse.
Carol Conway on the golfing committee does a wonderful job in selling golf memberships and handling the golf leagues which bring in out $27,000 of revenue. She is also the landscape person as well and has lots of phone calls, meetings and emails.
Steve Imes has one of the most challenging positions with architecture. We are as a board making effort to keep this association looking up to date, clean, and painted. Without the help of Steve, I am not sure what we would do.
The board is a blessing to work with. We work hard, laugh hard and plan for the future of Wellington Greens. The plans we make do not happen overnight, and the frustration is getting a project going and then waiting on a contractor…. things do not always move quickly.
I would be remiss if I did not tell you what a tremendous asset Dan Riner and his crew are. They are dependable, hardworking and have a heart to serve this community. They are grossly underappreciated.
Thank you for an opportunity to serve
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. Jim Watts remains very positive about the financial controls, division of duties and professional knowledge of our accounting firm Professional Accounting Services. Our account is handled by Stan Martin and Barb Geiger. Stan is a resident of Wellington Greens, but is unable to attend today’s meeting due to a family obligation.
The Balance Sheet on page 2 shows our current assets of $107,010 are in excess of our current liabilities of $63,386. Our cash on hand has increased from by amount $14,000 to $79,125. This represents about 2 months of expenses, which is our preferred minimum cash position. Our cash balance was depleted by about $21,000 due to the August windstorm. We still have five trees to remove that were damaged in that storm, so the total uninsured damage will be over $25,000. This is why we accumulate cash reserves.
Page 3 shows the results of operations in the year ending September 30, 2017. Our revenue in excess of expenses was $22,719 compared to $38,143 last year. The decrease is due primarily to the storm damage mentioned earlier. The statement of revenue and expenses doesn’t consider the $28,004 of principal repayments made during the year (this goes to decrease the outstanding loan on the balance sheet). I’ll point out several other income and expenses items: Revenue from sale of non-resident golf memberships and from guest fees increased to $28,425; health insurance increased to over $20,000 for two full-time employees and families; and water expenses totaled nearly $95,000 in spite of it being a wet year, but is still a bargain at less that $30 per month per resident for both household and common area water.
The board voted in August to increase our monthly association dues by $10 per month to $160. This is necessary to add back some tree removal, tree replacement and concrete replacement expenses into the budget. We have not repaired concrete in the last two years, so we have budgeted $25,000 for this fiscal year. We still have 59 remaining ash trees that will need to be removed as they become diseased over the next few years. Our dues were last increased to $150 five years ago. Dues increases have basically mirrored cost of living increases over the past 20 years.
Our independent Accountant remarked on how stable our financial statements are from year to year. This is true, but the aging infrastructure will continue to lead to larger expenses in the future. And we will continue to need to replace trucks and mowers.
I would be happy to answer any questions that you might have about the Financial Statements.
A question was asked about how much the Association had in accounts in arrears. Dick said it is about $35,000 up from $33,000 last year and that we had about six problem households. A question was how many rental units do we have and Don said between 35 and 40. A comment was made about league golfers trespassing and leaving beer bottles and trash and Carol said that was being resolved.
Concrete – No Report
Landscape – Carol Conway
First of all, I want to say that it has been a pleasure to work with this board. We get a lot of work done, but we also enjoy ourselves, thanks to our fearless leader.
I also want to commend Dan Riner and his crew for the job they do every day. There is a lot of work to do around here and they somehow get it done. There is a box in front of the clubhouse that contains work order forms. If you need something done around your unit that is the association’s responsibility, please fill out one of these forms. There is another box out front where you can put completed forms. The crew might not get to your request right away, but please be patient because they will eventually get to it.
The storm in August turned out to be very costly for us because of tree removal and stump grinding. We had to remove 5 trees and had 3 trees that needed to be trimmed. There were 5 tree building incidents. A total of 9 trees have been removed year to date.
The crew worked 8 full days just on clean-up and filled 16 30-yard dumpsters. There are still 7 large trees to be removed commercially…4 of them from the storm. Three of the removals are requests from residents.
Unfortunately, we only lost 1 ash tree in the storm. There are still 58 ash trees remaining that need to be removed.
Dan has planted 25 new trees this year. I have people ask if they can purchase trees and I want to cover the procedure with you.
The first step is to go to a nursery and pick out a tree or trees that you wish to have planted around your unit. Dan does recommend that these be strictly ornamental trees. Once you have picked out a tree then please contact me with the type of tree and I will run it past Dan. After the selection is approved, we will provide you with a flag to put in your desired location. Pleas keep in mind that the big mower needs room to get around the new tree/trees. The next step will be to have Dan approve the location.
So, once we get approval from Dan on selections/location, you can purchase your tree and have the nursery plant it. Keep in mind that Dan’s crew will not plant these trees. They need to be planted by the nursery.
We do have one resident who has gone through this process and will be having 4 trees planted around her unit.
Now, on to snow! Unfortunately, it’s coming. The crew can start about 3 am unless there is wind involved. If the snow is very heavy, they will make one pass through each court so people can get out if they need to. We appreciate patience considering the number of courts they have to clear.
I encourage all of you to thank Dan and his crew. I frequently walk in the mornings and take every opportunity I get to tell the crew what a great job they are doing. Thanks for your time.
Golf – Carol Conway
We brought in $28,425 this past year in golf through non-resident memberships and guest fees. We have the same leagues as in the past. We have two volunteer marshals.
Architectural – Steve Imes
Steve thanked the Board for their time, experience and expertise. He said he had lived in Wellington Greens for 17 years. He thanked the residents for their cooperation in complying with request to make repairs to their properties. He said there have been some disagreements but usually everything got resolved. We had issues with the wing walls in Canterbury. Some walls were removed and replaced and some were repaired. He said Tom Duey, resident and contractor was helpful. Steve said he view all 277 units and gave information to Don McIntyre to send out letters and he sent out 79 letters. Most residents complied and a few ignored the letters and they will be visited again. Steve ask for questions and Don Raven said there were three rentals in San Simeon and they had weeds, a spare tire and that curb appeal should be a concern. Steve said he would look into that. A resident asked about color codes and Steve said that some of the courts in the color code chart need to be updated and that if you were not sure to take a paint chip and the color can be determined. Steve was asked to what extent are owners compelled to make repairs and Steve said that the letters sent give the owners a designated date and if he is not contacted or repairs are not made, the Association hires someone to do the repairs and it is charged to the owner and a lien is taken if necessary.
Social Committee and Court Captains – Tom Johnson
Tom had members of the Social Committee stand. He said the 50th Anniversary event was a success with a very good turnout, the car show, cake and ice cream and the barbershop quartet.
Tom said that Marian Fisher was in charge of court captains and that she was no longer a resident of Wellington Greens, but that she did a very good job.
Long-Range Planning and Clubhouse renovation: – Paul Canny
Paul said he enjoyed working with this Board, that they are an amazing group of people and work very hard for no pay.
Paul said that the Long-Range Planning committee had done cost studies on remodeling the clubhouse in 2009 and 2010. He said the Board was considering remodeling the clubhouse in phases starting with the upstairs by removing a stairwell and installing an ADA compliance bathroom and possible removing one wall and installing a counter in the kitchen and remodeling the entry way. Paul said we will contract to have the exterior painted this spring. After discussion the members were asked for a show of hands on whether the Association should: 1, take out a loan and do all the remodeling at once; 2, Do it all at once with a special assessment or 3, Do the work in stages. A majority of the members wanted to do the work in stages.
More residents’ questions to the Board members were taken.
Election results were announced by Dick Vautravers. James Davidson and Tom Johnson 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.
President Davidson declared the meeting adjourned at 3:40 p.m.
Respectively submitted: W. Don McIntyre, Administrative Assistant
Annual Membership Meeting 2016 Unapproved Minutes Wellington Greens Home Owners Association
October 30, 2016
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
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Annual Membership Meeting Approved Minutes 2015 Wellington Greens Home Owners Association
October 25, 2015
Board Members Present: Tom Johnson, vice-president, Dick Vautravers, Treasurer and Steve Imes.
Staff: Don. McIntyre
The meeting was called to order at 2:05 p.m. by Vice-President Johnson.
Vice-President Johnson asked for prayers for Jim and Marlene Davidson and any other Wellington Green’s resident that were ill and asked if there were any new residents in attendance and to stand and state their names and addresses. Ken Rouch stood and introduced himself. Vice-President Johnson introduced Board members Dick Vautravers and Steve Imes and Administrative Assistant Don McIntyre
Vice-President Johnson confirmed that there was a quorum in attendance.
Vice-President Johnson asked for approval of the 2014 Annual Meeting Minutes. A motion was made and seconded that they be approved. The motion carried.
Vice-President Johnson introduced the candidates up for election to the Board of Directors and asked them to draw a number to determine the order in which they would present their presentation to the group. The candidates to be elected are Ray Daniel, Paul Canny, Dick Vautravers and Steve Imes. Paul Canny spoke first followed by Dick Vautravers and Steve Imes. Vice-President Johnson read information from Ray Daniel’s biography. Vice-President Johnson asked for questions from the audience and there were none.
Vice-President Johnson 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
(Read by Vice-President Johnson) The year 2014-2015 has proved to be a good year for Wellington Greens. We have been blessed with an abundance of rain, the campus looks great, and we look for better things ahead.
A special thanks once again to Dan and his crew at the Maintenance Building. They take their work seriously and do an excellent job. They arrive early in the morning and put in an honest day’s work day after day.
Their snow removal process is an arduous task. They have 20 courts to clear, 277 driveways and 2 ½ miles of sidewalk. So, if it appears on a big snow day that they are not and about, believe me they are. Enjoy a hot chocolate, keep your outside lights on which help the men, and be patient.
Our board continues to be a delight to work with month after month. Our meetings are at the clubhouse, third Tuesday of the month at 7:00 PM. You are welcome and encouraged to attend.
Dues will not be raised for the coming year. I regularly receive calls from other associations here and Omaha to inquire why WGHA is run so well. The reason is you! We are a village unto ourselves, and by and by overall we work well together. The dues structure with what it provides is a steal when compared to other Presidents I have visited. I am grateful.
Our finances in a word are in good shape. Thanks to each and every member who spend their time on the board. They are a delight for me to interact with. If I may be of service, you only need to ask. James Owen Davidson
Treasurer Report – Dick Vautravers
The Report of our independent accounting Watts and Hershberger is available at the sign in desk if anyone did not receive a copy. There were no deficiencies noted in the report. From a balance sheet perspective on page 2, I would note that we have nearly $108,000 of cash. However, we still have one outstanding issue with our maintenance building and we are holding about $16,000 in cash that will be payable to our builder when the outstanding issue is resolved. Nevertheless, our cash position is very good. Our member assessments receivable went up slightly, and we increased our reserves for potential bad debts. We just had one unit foreclosed and sold at auction and we did not have our lien repaid.
Our statements of Revenue and Expenses on page three showed that we had a positive revenue over expenses of $44,947 for the year. It should be noted that our building loan, and the repayment of principal that is made, does not flow through this statement. Thus, for each of the next 7 years we will be making loan repayment that will not be reflected in this statement. Only the interest payments flow through as expense. So our cash flow position will not be as strong as our statement of revenue and expenses would indicate.
There are no other significant changes in revenue or expenditures this past year.
I would like to recognize one of our residents, Stan Martin, who does our billing and accounting. We are fortunate to have a resident and an experienced CPA to handle this important job. I would also like to recognize Assistant Treasurer Ruth Manke who writes our checks and is a member of the Finance Committee, and Valda Menard, the other member of the Finance Committee.
The board voted in August to leave the monthly assessment at $150 for this fiscal year. The board will attempt to keep assessments at this level as long as possible, but maintenance cost for our campus continues to increase and it is inevitable that there will be a dues increase in the future.
I would be happy to entertain any questions regarding the financial report.
There were no questions.
Long Range Planning and Sewer – Dick Vautravers
We completed our major project of the new maintenance building and took occupancy on January 9, 2015. This building should be self-sufficient for the next 50 years, with very little maintenance, so we are pleased to have this project behind us. However, we will be paying off the loan for the next seven years, so this will limit our flexibility for major projects during that period. The loan payments amount to about $10 per month for each resident.
We last did a long-range needs study in 2013-2014. That study identified the maintenance building as our top priority, followed by a clubhouse renovation/rebuild and an irrigation system for the golf course and common area. During this year we have added a project to our list – removal of ash trees that will be killed by the ash borer insect. We have 81 ash trees on our campus, all large and mature. This will be a significant annual expenditure over the next 10 years. We also are faced with the repair of brick walls in the Canterbury courts. There are 11 fences in total on Canterbury common area, and several of these walls have had severe cracking and/or lean. We are trying to develop a plan for how to repair or replace these walls. And as reported in the concrete report, we have ongoing needs to restore areas of deteriorated concrete.
The sewer clean-outs, which was our last major capital project, is in the maintenance phase. We are doing most courts on an ever-five-years basis, and a few courts on an every-two-years. This maintenance effort is built into our annual budget.
I would be happy to answer questions regarding the long-rang planning report.
Concrete Dick Vautravers for Glenn Miller
Glenn Miller joined the board during the past year following a resignation. He has served as Secretary and as chair of the Concrete Committee. He was unable to attend today’s meeting, so I will report for him.
A concrete priority study was completed during the 2013-2014 fiscal year. The highest priority needs were repaired in November and December, 2014 (this fiscal year) at a cost of over $20,000. The priority study identified “Priority 2 projects for future work”. It is assumed we will rework that study later this year and do more concrete work early in the next fiscal year. For information purposes, we have spent about $350,000 repairing concrete over the past 12 years. The last study included criteria for replacing concrete. In general, cracks or pooling water during rain storms does not by itself create the highest priority for repair. If you have questions about concrete repair, please submit your questions to Glenn or to the board.
I will try to answer any questions you might have on concrete repair.
Architectural – Steve Imes
Steve thanked the Board for their time, experience and expertise. 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 the board decided to have work done at 7541 OPR because the curb appeal was not good. The board wanted it to look better from the outside. The board billed the tenant for the work that was done. He said we will continue to work with the tenants on the brick walls on OPR and also include the Landscape Committee. Steve asked if there were questions. Dottie Shapiro ask if there was a plan for landscaping at OPR and South Street. Dick stated that there had been discussion and Dan is working on it, but there is limited money to work there and also to work to hide the dumpster west of the maintenance building. Dottie said we need a group of volunteers to help clean up. Dick agreed.
Landscape – Steve Imes for Marlene Davidson
It is my pleasure to serve the wonderful community of Wellington Greens as Landscape Chairman. First, I would like to commend and thank our superintendent, Dan Riner. He has been employed at Wellington Greens for 40 plus years, and he cares for our campus as though it is his own property. At Wellington Greens we have 11 acres of golf course, approximately 20 acres of lawn, 2 ½ miles of sidewalk, and 20+ courtyards. Dan and his crew of three keep the entire area immaculate. Not only does he oversee the maintenance building and its new construction, the underground sewer system, and grading to achieve proper water runoff, but he keeps the grounds looking like a park. Dan and his crew work overtime many times to keep this place beautiful. When weather does not allow them to mow and maintain the grounds, they even come back to work on the weekends. Not many employees have that kind of commitment. Dan and his crew are the best-kept secret. Being a licensed arborist and attending classes constantly to stay abreast of the most current information, Dan continues to take down problem trees and replace them with better selections.
Ash trees have been smitten with Emerald Ash Borer disease. It started in the states east of Nebraska. Within a short time, you will see ash trees dying. Therefore, they will be marked with an “X” for removal. This will change the look of our landscape in many areas. Dan diligently plants new trees to take their places.
Dan and his crew continue to seed and over seed grass in troubled areas. Taking advantage of the wonderful rains we have received over the last couple of years has made our campus gorgeous. Those who have lived here over the years say this is the best Wellington Greens has ever looked. Thanks, Dan and crew.
The exceptional rains we have enjoyed are a two-edged sword. They have made our landscape breathtaking. 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 some 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 rely on you to keep me informed when landscaping falls into disarray. Without your help, our community would not be as beautiful as it is. The association pays for and maintains the two entrances into our area at South Street and Old Post Road. When landscaping is necessary within the cul-de-sac, meet with one another and your court captain. Bring your new ideas to me, and I will share them 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 big, cause problems with foundations, or hang over the neighbor’s property. We like to reduce the possibilities of ugly 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 possible damage.) The crew begins to remove snow about 3 a.m. If there is wind, they have to 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. If you are tempted to call and 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. 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.
This is truly a magnificent setting in which to live. Let’s make a concerted effort to make it the friendliest, most stunning setting to call home.
A member of the audience asked how many Pine trees we have. It was suggested that Don put in the newsletter the number of different trees.
Golf – Tom Johnson
Tom said that we raised the fees for guest from $5 to $8. He said we have 70 new non-resident golf memberships which has increased the revenue by 5% and that we have six golf leagues. He said he wished to complement Dan for the outstanding appearance of the golf course.
Hospitality Committee – Tom Johnson
Tom introduced three members of the Hospitality Committee that were in attendance, Ken Rouch, Marian Fischer and Donna Swartz. He said that we have had three fun functions this year and that the next one would be December 12, 2015 at the clubhouse, a Holiday event. He said the Hospitality Committee had raised over $2000 for clubhouse renovation. He introduced Marian Fischer for the Court Captains report.
Court Captains – Marian Fischer.
We are fortunate to have excellent Wellington Court Captains. Each Court Captain keeps in touch with those residents in their respective courts through email, a phone call or merely a verbal “hi” from the yard. Court Captains are friendly people who just want to help……..they are great neighbors! Court Captains are especially helpful as the Hospitality Committee plans for each of their FOUR annual events. Communicating the interest of their residents helps the committee know how much food and drink to order especially since we have stopped selling tickets in advance. We have started having co-court captains. Here is a list of the court captains and the courts that we need captains.
A Big THANK YOU to the following Captains:
Cambridge: Veronica Penn Cromwell: Charles & Donna O’Grady
Kensington: Barbara McCuen Kimberly Ct: Ken Rouch
Wellington: Mary Vesely and Don McIntyre Briar Glynn: Shirley Flynn
Chatham: JoAnn Trumper / Linda Esterling Sunbury: Donna Schwartz & TJ Johnson
Ramsgate: Peg Liming Pembrook Place: David Barr
Regency: Lily Hans San Simeon: NEED
Gramercy: Nan Hessee and Lisa Hayes Devonshire: Shirley Schafer
Canterbury South: NEED Blenheim: Carl Engstrom
Canterbury West: NEED Tiffany Place: Connie Strohmeyer
Canterbury East: Annie Votipka
Residents’ questions to the Board members were taken.
Election results were announced. Dick Vautravers and Steve Imes were elected to the Board of Directors.
Vice-President Johnson thanked the volunteers that worked today. He reminded everyone of Bridge and Pitch in the clubhouse.
Vice-President Johnson declared the meeting adjourned at 3:44 p.m.
Respectively submitted:
W. Don McIntyre Administrative Assistant
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Annual Membership Meeting Approved Minutes 2014
Wellington Greens Home Owners Association
October 26, 2014
Board Members Present: Jim Davidson, President, Dick Vautravers, vice-president, Daryln Hansen, Secretary, Ruth Manke, Treasurer, Steve Imes and Marlene Davidson.
Staff: Don. McIntyre
The meeting was called to order at 2:08 p.m. by President Davidson.
President Davidson asked if there were any new residents in attendance and to stand and state their names and addresses.
President Davidson introduced the Board of Directors and Administrative Assistant Don McIntyre and thanked Stan Martin and Ruth Manke for their diligence in handling the moneys coming in and flowing out of WGHA, Ruth was recognized for her six years of faithful service and presented with a glass plaque/trophy as well.
President Davidson confirmed that there was a quorum in attendance.
President Davidson asked for approval of the 2013 Annual Meeting Minutes. A motion was made and seconded that they be approved. The motion carried.
Dick Vautravers extended a very special thank you to the candidates willing to run for the Board. He introduced James Davidson, Glenn Miller, Connie Strohmeyer and Tom Johnson.
Each candidate made a presentation to the members which were followed by questions for the candidates from the audience.
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
Jim reported that Wellington Greens has had a good year for 2013-14. Our accounts receivable is 1%, not perfect, but manageable. We are actively pursuing action to bring the delinquents up to date. The grounds crew has work very hard to keep the campus in shape. We are about 80% complete with the new maintenance building and the goal is to be finished by December 1.
Long Range Planning and Sewer – Dick Vautravers
Many of the decisions regarding prioritization of our long range planning needs took place during the prior fiscal year. As reported at last year’s meeting, the Board identified the top needs of the Association as: new maintenance building, clubhouse update, and irrigation system for the golf course, restoration of turf and common areas including updated irrigation system, concrete repairs and ongoing maintenance for sewer lines. The Board then voted to explore in more depth three options – maintenance building, irrigation system for golf course and common areas and concrete repairs. I should mention that we did find money in the operating budget for concrete repairs and ongoing maintenance for sewer lines.
After analyzing the costs of the maintenance building and irrigation systems for the golf course and/or common area, it became obvious that we could only tackle one of these projects at a time. The board voted to pursue construction of a new maintenance building, due to the badly deteriorated condition of the old building, and the lack of space for our equipment. After hiring an architect, getting approval from city planning and letting bids, the project got under way in July of this year. We are on schedule for occupancy before December 1.
This will be our major project for the foreseeable future. As you will hear later, the work of the Hospitality Committee has increased interest in updating the Club House. So there will be some follow-up on what interim steps we might take to begin those improvements.
The installation of clean outs and the mapping of the sewer lines was completed in September, 2013. We spent about $147,000 to complete that project. During this fiscal year, the board debated how to use the installed clean-outs on an ongoing basis. We decided to do four courts in the first year and gauge how much debris had accumulated in the two years since the lines were cleaned. We chose the four courts with the most problems noted during the initial phase of the project. We were pleased to discover the lines were relatively clean, and we plan to go forward on a basis of 4-5 courts per year, at a budgetable cost of $2,000 to $2,500 per year. We remind all of you that 88 units are connected directly to city or common area sewer lines. Those units must be cleaned from within each unit, and are the responsibility of the unit owner. I do have a map of the sewer lines and if any of you have questions you can see me after the meeting.
We will also continue the policy in 2015 of informing courts that will have common lines cleaned, so that buildings can have the lines running under their buildings cleaned at the same time the common lines are being cleaned. This arrangement will save money for homeowners and maintain a schedule for those units.
Dick answered questions form the audience.
Secretary, Maintenance Building, Hospitality, Court Captains and Concrete – Daryln Hansen
Daryln stated that the Maintenance Building project was on schedule for mid-December occupancy. The Grounds Crew is very much looking forward to their spacious new work space.
The newly formed Hospitality Committee has been active during the past six months, holding ice-cream social and Octoberfest events at the club house. The events have been well received and well attended. A Holiday tour of homes is scheduled for December. Daryln introduced her committee and thanked them for the enthusiasm and support.
The court captains were asked to stand and be recognized for their efforts during the past year. The captains play an important role in bringing concerns of residents to the Board, and communicating Board actions to residents.
Daryln indicated that concrete repair on driveways will be taking place in the near future before snow season. We have a bid for about $20,000 of work to be completed on what were deemed to be the highest priority areas.
Daryln answered questions from the audience.
Treasurer Report – Ruth Manke
Ruth introduced herself and reported that the finance report was available to those that wish to view it. She said, in addition to being a member of the Board, she is also the chairperson of the finance committee. She thanked the other members of the committee. One of the primary responsibilities of the finance committee is to prepare and present to the full Board the annual operating budget for their approval. Then, actual operating income and expenses are compared to the budget on a monthly basis, and all material variances are reviewed and discussed by the Board. The Board has determined there will be no increase in monthly dues for the upcoming year. The annual budget for the next year has been approved by the Board based on no increase. The preparation of the annual budget is not without its challenges, including current economic conditions and Mother Nature, but the overall financial position of Wellington Greens is very sound.
Architectural – Steve Imes
Steve thanked the Board for their time, experience and expertise. He gave a special thank you to Ruth and said she will be missed. He thanked the members of the Architectural Committee and Don McIntyre for getting the letters out. He said that his personal contact with residents of the community was rewarding and apologized to those that he missed calling back. The spring walk around turned into the spring, summer, fall walk around. Many letters were sent to units that were in need of some repairs. Most of the problems were taken care of and at least one was repaired by the Board and billed to the owner and if not paid by the owner will have lien attached to the owner’s property. The three major categories are clutter, minor repair and significant repair that could affect neighboring property values. Dry rot and paint appeared in a majority of the letters. The paint codes have been updated to the extent possible and are on the web site. Some paint colors are outdated and some are no longer produced and in those cases the residents must match the new paint to the old as close as possible.
Landscape – Marlene Davidson
Marlene said I am so proud to be a part of and serve a community like Wellington Greens. We have great people and a landscape that is gorgeous. Our maintenance crew is the best-kept secret. We have folks who work extra hours just to keep the area presentable and functioning properly. To get this type of expert and professional knowledge could be much more expensive. Along with being a licensed arborist, Dan goes to classes continually in order to stay in compliance with acceptable procedures.
We have gone from mowing dirt in some areas, to mowing our lush green lawns. Dan and his crew have seeded and over seeded grass all year, taking advantage of the wonderful rains we received. When planting grass hasn’t worked well, they have sodded certain areas.
There is a schedule for taking down trees that cannot be rejuvenated any longer. Then they plant suitable replacements. The constant process of taking down old trees and planting new ones, keeps our grounds looking fresh and new.
The squirrels have taken their toll on our maple trees. Dan brought a branch to one of our board meetings showing how they strip the bark. When they are successful in stripping it in a complete circle around the branch, the tree eventually dies. So again, cute as they may be, do not feed the squirrels, enticing them to hang around. They do that very well by themselves.
Since I am across town most days watching grandchildren, I cannot keep up on all the landscape issues alone. I rely heavily on you to keep me informed when something is not quite right. Without your help, our little community would not be as beautiful as it is. The association pays for and maintains the two entrances into our area at South Street and Old Post Road. When you want something done in your cul-de-sac, meet with one another and your court captain. Bring your ideas to me, and I will share them with the board. Any reasonable plan will be approved. In your private dwelling, use the same scenario, Pass your plan to me; I will share it with the board. After their approval, you are free to proceed with your planting. This is only to keep some semblance of order and consistency in our landscape. We just don’t want a 50’ cottonwood tree inside a small patio area, or a tree or bush that will eventually hang over on the neighbor’s side. Also, sometimes roots can cause upheaval in foundations and walls. We just want to eliminate ugly situations in the future.
Finally, we are approaching the winter months and inclement weather. When we have mountains of snow, (or even a little snow), save all the phone calls telling how they haven’t scooped your court yet. Have another cup of coffee and enjoy the snow falling outside the window. The crew starts about 3 a.m. to remove snow, unless there is wind. Then they have to wait until it is feasible to begin. If the snow is heavy, they make one pass through every court, so folks can get out if they need to. Then they come back to fine-tune.
We also do not need calls saying they only cleaned a little snow and not all of it. Given time, they will get it all done properly. So let’s be patient this year and be glad they are doing it so we don’t have to. Instead, we might think about greeting them with some hot coffee or hot chocolate and a cookie. Or we could even try a mere “thank you”. That could cause a few heart palpitations.
This is truly a wonderful campus in which to live. Let’s each make an individual concerted attempt to make it the friendliest most beautiful place to call home.
Golf – Addie Egan
Addie said, I would like to thank the board for entrusting me with handling golf this year- it has been a lot of fun and I have met some very nice people. Thank you Tom Johnson for helping me with golf tournaments this year! We had a great turnout for our tournaments in June and July. We plan on having four tournaments in 2015. If you get a chance, please thank Dan for taking excellent care of our golf course – especially the greens- I hear compliments all the time about how nice our greens are even compared to courses like Firethorn. 25 new golf memberships were sold this year for a total of $6,150 which included two youth memberships for boys ages 14 & 15. Please consider buying a child (grandchild, neighbor kid) a youth golf membership. I will accompany them during a round of golf to make sure they use proper golf etiquette and understand the rules. Youth memberships are only $55 for the entire year and make a great gift. Golf tags for 2015 have been changed- they are beige and hang horizontally. Please be sure and place your 2015 sticker on your golf tag when they are sent out with your HOA statement in January! A lot of stickers are thrown away with the envelope and I get phone calls for people needing new stickers. If your golf tag is falling apart please let me know and I will make you a new tag. We are now allowing the use of golf carts on a case by case basis if the person is disabled or cannot walk the course. The person must sign a liability release form and provide their own golf cart. We will no longer be able to loan our maintenance golf carts and no, my personal golf cart cannot be loaned out! If anyone suspects someone on the golf course who should not be there, please talk to them- check for a golf tag- ask if they are a guest- or call me and if I am available I will find out who they are and if they should be here. Please check the newsletter during the spring and summer months for golf tournament information- anyone is welcome to play in our tournaments including residents, members, league members and non-members It is a pleasure to serve our great community and thank you all for being so kind and patient with me during my first year of being your golf chair. Addie asked if there were any question.
Residents’ questions to the Board members were taken.
Election results were announced. James Davidson and Tom Johnson 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.
President Davidson declared the meeting adjourned at 3:44 p.m.
Respectively submitted:
W. Don McIntyre Administrative Assistant
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Annual Membership Meeting – Approved Minutes
Wellington Greens Home Owners Association
October 27, 2013
Board Members Present: Jim Davidson, President, Jane Haire, vice-president, Dick Vautravers, Secretary, Ruth Manke, Treasurer, Steve Imes and Bob Webb.
Staff: Don. McIntyre
The meeting was called to order at 2:08 p.m. by President Davidson.
President Davidson asked if there were any new residents in attendance. Dale and Nancy Hardy, 7501 OPR # 7 and George Tuck, 7420 South Street # 21 introduced themselves. Jane Jameson, 7420 South St. #4, announced that she was moving “with regrets”.
President Davidson introduced the Board of Directors and Administrative Assistant Don McIntyre. He also recognized Stan Martin, our accountant, and expressed much gratitude to Mike Cowan for creating and maintaining the Association web site from inception to date. Mike was not in attendance, but his wife, Cherie and brother, Thomas expressed their appreciation.
President Davidson confirmed that there was a quorum in attendance.
President Davidson asked for approval of the 2012 Annual Meeting Minutes. Sue Keller moved that the 2012 minutes be approved. Roscoe Shields seconded the motion. The motion carried.
Jane Haire extended a very special thank you to the candidates willing to run for the Board. She estimated that we asked over 100 people, some of whom have very strong opinions and who declined, and only four people stepped up. There was a recommendation and concern that the only way we would get people willing to serve was to offer some kind of payment. She said we should not need to do this. Jane said that being on the Board is a time commitment. Sometimes it is minimal and sometimes it is substantial. She asked that you remember this is a volunteer board. It is an act of service for the good of the community. Sometimes it is very hard. Board members get yelled at, cussed at and criticized. And it is also very rewarding. She expressed the pleasure of meeting some really wonderful kind people. This is a good Board and you have strong candidates, she said. We are in good hands. Help them. Be kind. Show up at Board meetings; express your ideas and thoughts politely and constructively. The Board cannot do this alone. There is not enough time or resources for six people to do all that need to get done.
She introduced Marlene Davidson, Cynthia Sherman, Sue Keller and Daryln Hansen.
Each candidate made a presentation to the members. Jane asked if there were any questions 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.
Long Range Planning
Jane presented a Power Point presentation on Strategic Planning/Long Range Planning. She explained how the Board prioritized needs. She said that the 2009 Long Range Planning plan was a good plan that identified issues and opportunities, but it served as a guide and not as a governing document. She explained that Board first established their goals and identify needs. The needs identified were new maintenance building, update clubhouse, irrigation system for golf course, finish sewer project, restoration of turf and common areas, concrete repairs, ongoing maintenance for sewer lines and ongoing education and communication with residents. The priorities were to explore options for Maintenance building, irrigation system for golf course and restoration of turf and concrete repairs. Jane encouraged the residents to volunteer, to help neighbors that need help with upkeep of property, to help with the website by contributing articles, blogs, etc.
Court Captains
Jane repeated thank you several times to those court captains for their willingness to serve. They are truly the soldiers of service. There are several courts that do not have court captains. Communication will be more limited, your needs will not be heard as readily and you do not have an advocate should needs arise. It was the consensus of the court captains to communicate primarily through email. It is much more efficient. However, there is something lost in actual face to face time. When you change your email address, let Don know. Keep your resident list up to date, it is critical in case of an emergencies.
Web site
Jane said that Don and she will oversee the site. Remember the price is right so be patient. We are adding some features that will be rolled out. It is intended to be easy to access information. The Board meeting minutes and financials will be stored for a three month period of time. It is not an archival site. We have included a blog for residents to share information. We have added a “Courts of Wellington Greens” page that will include a brief description of the court and architectural information, paint color specs, helpful information, sewer line information. Leave your feedback. It is for you. As new families move in and we are seeing younger families move in, this is an important means of communication. The newsletter is not going to be replaced or duplicated on the website. It is just one more way to communicate and create community.
Secretary Report
Dick indicated that Don did the minutes and newsletter.
Treasurer Report
Ruth introduced herself. She said, in addition to being a member of the Board, she is also the chairperson of the finance committee. She thanked the other members of the committee, Dick Vautravers and Velda Menard for their participation and contributions during the past year. One of the primary responsibilities of the finance committee is to prepare and present to the full Board the annual operating budget for their approval. Then, actual operating income and expenses are compared to the budget on a monthly basis, and all material variances are reviewed and discussed by the Board. For the year ended September 30, 2013, the actual revenues exceeded expenses, and were favorable to the budgeted amounts. In addition to approving the operating budget for income and expenses, the Board evaluates the capital expenditures that might be required for the year. The Board has determined there will be no increase in monthly dues for the upcoming year. The annual budget for the next year has been approved by the Board based on no increase. The preparation of the annual budget is not without its challenges, including current economic conditions and Mother Nature, but the overall financial position of Wellington Greens is very sound. The two year total sewer project is nearly completed and totally paid for in the amount of $148,000. This was a very necessary project, and resulted in many plumbing improvements and a complete mapping of the community to have going forward. Our independent accountants have prepared the compiled financial statements for the year ended September 30, 2013 and copies of those are available to you. All of us on the Wellington Greens Board are looking forward to another great year and to be the best possible stewards of all our resources. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.
Bob Hans ask why there was such a large increase in the accounts receivable as compared to last year. Ruth said that the total accounts receivable at the current year end is $21,599. There are three units that have not made any dues payments for this year, and one unit is currently being managed by the Housing and Urban Development for which only a partial year’s dues payments have been made. This accounts for approximately $6,400 of the $6,900 increase. These four units owe a total of nearly $17,000, which accounts for 78% of the total dollar amount of the accounts receivable, and only about 2% of the total 277 units. Liens are filed on these four properties.
Architectural
Steve thanked the Board for their time, experience and expertise. He gave a special thank you to Bob and Jane and said they will be missed. He thanked the members of the Architectural Committee, Betsey Cowan, Paul Pocock, Sue Keller, Marty Proctor and Don McIntyre for getting the letters out. He said that his personal contact with residents of the community was rewarding and apologized to those that he missed calling back. The spring walk around turned into the spring, summer, fall walk around. 137 letters were sent to units that were in need of some repairs. Twenty-eight letters are pending. 60% of the units will receive letters. The three major categories are monitor or clutter, minor repair and significant repair that could affect neighboring property values. Dry rot and paint appeared in a majority of the letters. Committee work planned for this winter is to update the paint codes as they are outdated and some are no longer produced. An updated list of contractors, handyman, and exterior painters would be helpful so it can be passed to those who need assistance.
Golf
Bob reported that we had six golf leagues and that the association receives $4,000 from the leagues. He said we had five tournaments this year in April, June, July, August and September and that in May we had our annual youth golf clinic. We charge $15 for the golf tournaments and pay back 100% after recovering expenses. Sarah Sasse did the golf clinic and has agreed to do it again next year. Dues for non-resident golfers were raised 10% across the board, member dues went to $275. We try to have about 100 non-resident golfers and last year we had 89. Green fees were down $4,000 last year.
Sewer Report
Jim thanked Dan and Spencer and indicated that the sewer project was completed for all intents and purposes. He suggested that residents have the portion of the sewer line in their units that is their responsibility cleaned, that the cost was $90. Jane said to know where your inside tap is located and suggested that it be cleaned out every two years.
Dave Owen ask for clarification as to what was the Association’s responsibility was and what was the resident’s responsibility was and indicated that he thought the Board had decided to do all the lines. Dave explained that most buildings have a common line underneath the building; some had lines behind the buildings and some had small lines going out to the main. Dick said that it was challenging for the board to do all the lines, due to the different configurations, especially since about 78 units connect directly to a city or common line. This means clean outs can only be accomplished from within those units. It was agreed that the board would develop a plan for how often and how to pay for cleaning out sewer lines, both in common areas and in/under residences. The board will communicate the locations of the lines and clean-outs and the recommended plan to residents.
Landscape
Dick indicated that the Landscape Committee works closely with Head Groundskeeper Dan Riner and his crew. As a reminder, Wellington Greens consists of 71 acres, a nine-hole golf course, approximately 4,000 trees and numerous shrubs. Our community is now 45 years old and some of our trees, turf and shrubs are showing their age. He said he rejoined the Board last October, and became the head of the Landscape Committee and that this is somewhat ironic, considering that he and his wife have lived in Welling Greens since 1976 and one reason that they remain here is that he does not like yard work. He asked how did I do in my first year working on Landscape. Dick showed a picture depicting a part of Wellington Greens in September of 2012 and then showed a picture of the same area one year later. The first picture showed a dry drought condition and the second picture was much greener. Dick assured everyone that he had nothing to do with this improvement. What it shows is the following:
1. Mother Nature plays a primary role in the appearance of the grounds;
2. We suffered an abnormal severe drought in 2012, which affected our turf, trees and shrubs;
3. We have made real progress during the past year due to more normal rainfall and hard work by our crew.
The Landscape Committee has received a number of request/questions/comments from residents during the past year. These resident requests were of three main types:
1. A request to plant/landscape the common area adjoining their residences;
2. Request to have our crew remove/trim/replace trees and shrubs in the common area adjacent to their property;
3. Request for water, spraying for weeds or planting grass in the common area.
We have responded to these requests as expeditiously as possible, although we did not always agree to perform the requested work. Dan and his crew are very responsive, once we have agreed on an action. But all requests are balanced against the overall needs and priorities of the community. We have had requests to plant/landscape at the owner’s/court’s expense and effort, and we appreciate that. Bob and Dottie Shapiro requested to establish a new entrance to their court at their expense and that was granted, and we appreciate that. We have also had request to remove/clean up areas in the common area that were once planted and maintained by residents. It is a balancing act.
One other activity of the Landscape Committee is to look at the landscaping of residents on private property. We have sent out several letters requesting that properties be cleaned up and trees and shrubs trimmed. In two instances, the board has voted to hire someone to clean up the property if the residents refuse to do so, and then bill the resident.
Dick reiterated that the Wellington Green’s policy on turf as stated in the 2009 Long Range Planning Report adopted by the Board is “the policy at Wellington Greens has been that the grass in the common areas is to be maintained at a ‘park standard’, not a ‘barefoot grass standard’, Cultural practices, including irrigation, fertilizing, mowing, weed control and application of pre-emergence have been adjusted to maintain the ‘park standard’.
He said we are continuing steps to help the turf recover from the 2012 drought. We will use dormant over seeding again this November in damaged areas. This means we plant new seed using an aerator; the seed will lie dormant over the winter and then begin its growth in the spring. Over seeding requires patience, it is a three to five year process. We have removed a number of damaged trees during the past year. These trees were damaged by the drought, by insects or disease or simple old age. We have additional trees to remove or trim. Tree removal is done on a priority basis, with higher priority given to severely damaged trees, tree limbs overhanging homes, or trees with roots causing problems with sewer, water or concrete. We will continue the process of pruning our damaged trees, limbs and shrubs. We do not always replace trees that have been removed. In general, we now probably have too many trees on our grounds, which cause problems for our turf. We do replant trees where appropriate, but we remind you that it takes a long time to grow a tree so that your area has shade. We generally do not plant replacement trees and shrubs for purely screening or privacy purpose. Dick thanked all who have helped keep the areas around your units looking beautiful. We, the residents of Wellington greens, need to appreciate the large amount of green space and privacy in our community and be patient as we work to make our grounds even more beautiful.
Addie Egan said that she used lots of Round-up.
Shirley Schafer said she would like to have the Board meeting agendas in a more timely manner.
President Davidson declared the meeting adjourned at 3:44 p.m.
Respectively submitted: W. Don McIntyre, Administrative Assistant